telephoto

1 of 3

adjective

tele·​pho·​to ˌte-lə-ˈfō-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce telephoto (audio)
Synonyms of telephotonext
: 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

telephoto

2 of 3

noun

plural telephotos
1
: a telephoto lens
2
: a photograph taken with a camera having a telephoto lens

Telephoto

3 of 3

trademark

—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
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Noun
The periscope telephoto is where the XPLORE 6 really separates itself from the crowd. — New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026 In addition to the missing Face ID, reviewers have mentioned the lack of a telephoto lens as a notable omission from the camera setup. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026 This year’s Vivo X300 Ultra was the first phone to feature two of them — with 200-megapixel main and telephoto cameras — and is still my favorite cameraphone on the market. — Dominic Preston, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026 The phone has a 48MP Fusion Main camera with 2x optical-quality telephoto capability and a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for telephoto

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1893, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of telephoto was in 1893

Phrases Containing telephoto

Rhymes for telephoto

See All Rhymes for telephoto

Browse Nearby Words

telephony
telephoto
Telephoto
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Cite this Entry

“Telephoto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephoto. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

telephoto

adjective
tele·​pho·​to
ˌtel-ə-ˈfōt-ō
: being a camera lens designed to give a large image of a distant object

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