tripod

noun

tri·​pod ˈtrī-ˌpäd 

1

: a three-legged stand (as for a camera)

2

: a stool, table, or altar with three legs

3

: a vessel (such as a cauldron) resting on three legs

tripod adjective

or tripodal

ˈtri-pə-dᵊl 

ˈtrī-ˌpä-

Examples of tripod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What’s The Best Way To Photograph The Northern Lights? With a regular camera, NASA recommends setting up with a tripod, a wide-angle lens, an aperture or F-stop of four or less and a focus set to the furthest possible setting to capture the northern lights. —Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

The weight difference is likely thanks to the lighter tripod stand as opposed to the flat, hexagonal metal bases of other monitors like the Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED (AW2725Q). —PC Magazine, 30 May 2025

In my experience, tripod stools like this one tend to wobble on uneven ground, but GCI has solved that issue with a clever piece of fabric around the legs that stops them from splaying out. —Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2025

Most action cams are designed to be attached to accessories like tripods, monopods, and various grips to capture footage on the go. —Jakob Schiller, Outside Online, 1 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin tripod-, tripus, from Greek tripod-, tripous, from tripod-, tripous, adjective, three-footed, from tri- + pod-, pous foot — more at foot

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for tripod

• abroad
• applaud
• backboard
• ballade
• defraud
• ephod
• facade
• guffawed
• outlawed
• ramrod
• roughshod
• slipshod

Kids Definition

tripod

noun

tri·​pod ˈtrī-ˌpäd 

1

: something (as a container or stool) resting on three legs

2

: a three-legged stand (as for a camera)

Medical Definition

tripod

noun

tri·​pod ˈtrī-ˌpäd 

: a bone having three processes