binoculars

British  

/ baɪ-, bɪˈnɒkjʊləz /

plural noun

1. Also called: field glasses.  an optical instrument for use with both eyes, consisting of two small telescopes joined together

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Explanation

Birdwatchers often use binoculars to get a better look at their feathered friends. When you look through binoculars, far-off things appear much closer. Binoculars are like a telescope for both eyes at the same time — they make it possible to see distant objects more clearly. Sailors, hikers, tourists, and soldiers all occasionally use binoculars, and so do some audience members at the opera, who use special small binoculars called "opera glasses." The noun comes from an adjective, binocular, which means "having two eyes," or "involving both eyes," from the Latin bini, "two by two" and ocularis, "of the eye."

Example Sentences

Catherine said, before liftoff, her husband gave her a pair of powerful binoculars to follow the space voyage.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

I have wonderful small binoculars that fit in my shirt pocket.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter should be visible to the naked eye but Uranus and Neptune will likely require binoculars or a telescope.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Standing in his boat with binoculars in hand, hunter Malik Kleist scans the horizon for seals.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

We positioned a mirror on the “derrick” so that we could read the scale with binoculars.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam