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contact lens

American

noun

one of a pair of small plastic disks that are held in place over the cornea by surface tension and correct vision defects inconspicuously.

contact lens British

noun

a thin convex lens, usually of plastic, which floats on the layer of tears in front of the cornea to correct defects of vision

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of contact lens

First recorded in 1885–90

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.

In Florstadt, automated procedures coexist with manual handling at fixed workstations, such as preparing a single contact lens ordered by an optician for a specific patient for further shipping.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

We went through four different contact lens and colors, but we wanted the one that would allow people in more.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2024

Those people, along with some athletic types, are catered to by the contact lens market.

From Slate • Oct. 20, 2024

The surgical and contact lens products maker raised its profit and revenue forecasts.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 1, 2024

The old lady snatched it up, pushed it into her eye socket like somebody putting in a contact lens, and blinked.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023