binoculars
Britishplural noun
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."
Vocabulary lists containing binoculars
It Takes Two: Bi
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Some Latin-based Words
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: bi-
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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 Friday, several groups of fans aimed their spotting scopes and binoculars at the nest from Dana Point Park.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026
Now the University of Sheffield zoology student has swapped his gaming headset for a pair of binoculars as he's embraced a new passion - birdwatching.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Do not point binoculars, telescopes, or cameras near the Sun unless proper solar safety equipment is being used.
From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2026
In 2023, Chinese activist Kwon Pyong, who is an ethnic Korean, fled to South Korea on a jet ski, carrying binoculars and a compass.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
“Don't go out there,” Quentin told me even as I walked outside the blockhouse and studied the rocket with binoculars.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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.
