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

Meanwhile, night-vision rifle scopes paired with cutting-edge thermal-imaging binoculars open the night woods to hunting in ways that were impossible just a few years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

A 1972 shot sees two couples on a bird-watching expedition with binoculars held to their eyes, appearing owlish themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

A key part of the Harbor Area Peace Patrols’ work was sending volunteers to locations around Terminal Island with cameras and binoculars to track how many vehicles were leaving.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

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

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

I got my binoculars from inside the cave.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien