hand lens

noun

: a magnifying glass to be held in the hand

Examples of hand lens in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Culex pipiens —and take a look at it under a microscope or a powerful hand lens. — Daisy Alioto, The New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2020 Holding a hand lens to its bloom, Knapp showed me how this DYC was not a single blossom but a bouquet. — Marion Renault, The New Republic, 20 Dec. 2021 Maidment’s graduate student, Joe Bonsor, takes note on his clipboard then brings a piece of rock close to his face and squints at it through a hand lens. — Laura Poppick, Discover Magazine, 30 Aug. 2019 Occasionally, one of them would cradle it in one palm and bring a hand lens to it with the other, inspecting the carnivorous plant that was their bounty. — Marion Renault, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2019 Wearing a face mask and latex gloves, Clancy examined what was inside each packet, either with a hand lens or under a microscope. — Chris Heath, The Atlantic, 15 July 2021 The city’s old concrete yields everything from tiny specimens demanding close inspection with a hand lens to a gigantic cliff fern almost 6 feet across. — Irene Wanner, The Seattle Times, 19 May 2019 Using a combination of powerful microscopes, hand lenses, and 3D reconstructions, the researchers looked for tell-tale signs of deliberate cutting on the cow skull. — Roni Dengler, Science | AAAS, 19 Apr. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hand lens was in 1930

Rhymes for hand lens

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Browse Nearby Words

handleless
hand lens
handle oneself
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Cite this Entry

“Hand lens.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20lens. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

hand lens

noun
: a magnifying glass to be held in the hand
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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