tele·pho·to
ˌte-lə-ˈfō-(ˌ)tō 
: being a camera lens system designed to give a large image of a distant object
also
: relating to or being photography in which a telephoto lens is used
plural telephotos
1
: a telephoto lens
2
: a photograph taken with a camera having a telephoto lens
—used for an apparatus for transmitting photographs electrically or for a photograph so transmitted
Examples of telephoto in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Steven Levingston, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026
At times, people in the crowd stood up to clap for medalists — and got quickly shouted down by the journalists wielding telephoto lenses behind them.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
For those planning to photograph the blood moon with telescopes or telephoto lenses, the 59-minute totality window gives you solid working time to experiment with exposure bracketing and capture the subtle shift in hue between the start and greatest eclipse.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
For those photographing with telescopes or telephoto lenses, the 59-minute totality window provides solid working time to experiment with exposure bracketing and capture the subtle shift in hue between totality’s start and greatest eclipse.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for telephoto
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Noun
During the night, an enterprising photographer with a telephoto lens sneaked upstairs in a building opposite Children’s and found a window in line with Patrick’s room.
—Steven Levingston, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026
At times, people in the crowd stood up to clap for medalists — and got quickly shouted down by the journalists wielding telephoto lenses behind them.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
For those planning to photograph the blood moon with telescopes or telephoto lenses, the 59-minute totality window gives you solid working time to experiment with exposure bracketing and capture the subtle shift in hue between the start and greatest eclipse.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
For those photographing with telescopes or telephoto lenses, the 59-minute totality window provides solid working time to experiment with exposure bracketing and capture the subtle shift in hue between totality’s start and greatest eclipse.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for telephoto
Cite this Entry
“Telephoto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephoto. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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