spectacles
Britishplural noun
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Often (informal) shortened to: specs. a pair of glasses for correcting defective vision
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cricket a score of 0 in each innings of a match
Explanation
Spectacles are eyeglasses. People wear spectacles because their vision is flawed. Spectacles is an old-fashioned word, but it means something you probably see — and maybe even use — every day: eyeglasses. People who have defective vision need spectacles to see properly. Spectacles have two main parts: the lenses and the frames that hold the lenses. An ophthalmologist (eye doctor) can test your eyes and see if you need spectacles. You can also call spectacles glasses or specs.
Vocabulary lists containing spectacles
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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"Harrison Bergeron"
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Mr. Popper’s Penguins
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Tuesday, rodeo lovers and animal welfare advocates descended on downtown Los Angeles to argue for and against a draft ordinance that would ban the hooved spectacles within the city.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Among the artifacts on view are Chief Justice John Marshall’s spectacles, one of FDR’s fedoras, and a voting machine from Florida’s Palm Beach County used in the 2000 election.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
And he has said he has been able "to gaze on some of the most marvellous spectacles that the wild places of the world have to offer".
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
He has a long history of turning personal grievances into public spectacles.
From Slate • Apr. 30, 2026
He returns to his chair, removing his spectacles to wipe them with his handkerchief.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
