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

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

A pair of binoculars will also come in handy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

He sat crosslegged in the leaves at the crest of a ridge and glassed the valley below them with the binoculars.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy