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
Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
The telephoto camera is a major battleground for Android phone makers this year, with handsets from Honor, Vivo, and Xiaomi all featuring similar tech for long-distance shooting.
—PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025
The most important update for anyone who likes to play outside is that all three cameras—the ultra wide (13mm equivalent), standard (24mm equivalent), and telephoto (100mm equivalent)—all come with 48-megapixel sensors.
—Jakob Schiller, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
Even the 3x telephoto lens of the iPhone 15 Pro is clearer and more detailed than the iPhone Air's 2x shot digitally zoomed to 3x.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for telephoto
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Noun
The Chicago Times sent a special truck rigged with a developing room and telephoto lenses for long focal views.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
The telephoto camera is a major battleground for Android phone makers this year, with handsets from Honor, Vivo, and Xiaomi all featuring similar tech for long-distance shooting.
—PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025
The most important update for anyone who likes to play outside is that all three cameras—the ultra wide (13mm equivalent), standard (24mm equivalent), and telephoto (100mm equivalent)—all come with 48-megapixel sensors.
—Jakob Schiller, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
Even the 3x telephoto lens of the iPhone 15 Pro is clearer and more detailed than the iPhone Air's 2x shot digitally zoomed to 3x.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for telephoto
Cite this Entry
“Telephoto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephoto. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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