hologram

noun

ho·​lo·​gram ˈhō-lə-ˌgram  ˈhä- 

: a three-dimensional image reproduced from a pattern of interference produced by a split coherent beam of radiation (such as a laser)

also : the pattern of interference itself

Did you know?

A hologram is a picture of a "whole" object, showing it in three dimensions. We've all seen cheap hologram images on credit cards and ID cards (where they help prevent copying). Far more impressive are large holograms that take the form of a ghostly 3-D moving figure that you can walk around to see from all angles. Holograms were invented in 1947 but only perfected after the invention of the laser in 1960. Today they're used in such technologies as compact-disc players and checkout scanners, and holograms can be created of the inside of live internal organs to permit doctors to examine the organs in great detail. And soon televisions with hologram technology may enable us to watch in "3-D".

Examples of hologram in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The museum is near the site of Alice Walton’s father Sam Walton’s first five-and-dime store, in Alice’s childhood hometown, which is now home to Walmart’s global headquarters (and the small Walmart Museum, complete with a talking hologram of Sam Walton). —Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 8 June 2026

The cooler itself projects a custom image onto these spinning blades, which renders them as a floating hologram that hovers above the blades, larger than their diameter. —John Burek, PC Magazine, 7 June 2026

Those anticipating a life-sized Prince hologram or an interactive experience of his Minnesota life should lower their expectations before visiting. —Hannah Brueske, Twin Cities, 27 May 2026

Still, this story is bigger than one hologram in New York. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

holo- + -gram

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hologram

• abraham
• anagram
• cablegram
• cofferdam
• dendrogram
• diagram
• diaphragm
• epigram
• hexagram
• histogram
• instagram
• kilogram

Kids Definition

hologram

noun

ho·​lo·​gram ˈhō-lə-ˌgram  ˈhäl-ə- 

: a three-dimensional picture made by a complex pattern of light (as laser light)

Medical Definition

hologram

noun

ho·​lo·​gram ˈhō-lə-ˌgram  ˈhäl-ə- 

: a three-dimensional image reproduced from a pattern of interference produced by a split coherent beam of radiation (as from a laser)

also : the pattern of interference itself