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• lens
  lens

  noun

  a piece of transparent substance, usually glass, having two opposite surfaces either both curved or one curved and one plane, used in an optical device in changing the convergence of light rays, as for magnification, or in correcting defects of vision.
• Lens
  Lens

  noun

  an industrial town in N France, in the Pas de Calais department; badly damaged in both World Wars. Pop: 36 206 (1999)

lens

American  

[lenz] / lɛnz /

noun

• lenses
  plural

1. a piece of transparent substance, usually glass, having two opposite surfaces either both curved or one curved and one plane, used in an optical device in changing the convergence of light rays, as for magnification, or in correcting defects of vision.

2. a combination of such pieces.

3. some analogous device, as for affecting sound waves, electromagnetic radiation, or streams of electrons.

4. Anatomy. crystalline lens.

5. Geology. a body of rock or ore that is thick in the middle and thinner toward the edges, similar in shape to a biconvex lens.

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verb (used with object)

1. Movies. to film (a motion picture).

Lens ¹ British  

/ lɑ̃, lenz /

noun

1. an industrial town in N France, in the Pas de Calais department; badly damaged in both World Wars. Pop: 36 206 (1999)

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lens ² British  

/ lɛnz /

noun

1. a piece of glass or other transparent material, used to converge or diverge transmitted light and form optical images

2. Also called: compound lens. a combination of such lenses for forming images or concentrating a beam of light

3. a device that diverges or converges a beam of electromagnetic radiation, sound, or particles See electron lens

4. anatomy See crystalline lens

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lens Scientific  

/ lĕnz /

1. A transparent structure behind the iris of the eye that focuses light entering the eye on the retina.

2. 1. A piece of glass or plastic shaped so as to focus or spread light rays that pass through it, often for the purpose of forming an image.

   2. A combination of two or more such lenses, as in a camera or telescope.

3. A device that causes radiation to converge or diverge by an action analogous to that of an optical lens. The system of electric fields used to focus electron beams in electron microscopes is an example of a lens.

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lens ¹ Cultural  

1. A piece of transparent material, such as glass, that forms an image from the rays of light passing through it. (See focal length, refraction, and telescope.)

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lens ² Cultural  

1. A clear, almost spherical structure located just behind the pupil of the eye. The lens focuses waves of light on the retina.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lensless
  adjective
• lenslike
  adjective
• unlensed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lenses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of lens

First recorded in 1685–95; from New Latin, special use of Latin lēns “a lentil” (from its shape); see lentil

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Explanation

A lens is a curved transparent device that bends light, like the lens of eyeglasses or a contact lens you’ll need if the natural lens in your eye needs help. Cameras have a lens, too. Smile! In an eye, the lens — which is behind the iris — helps focus light on the retina so you can see. It's a lot like the lens in a telescope or camera, which also focuses light and helps form images. You can also use the word lens as a metaphor for how you see things. If you look at sports through the lens of medicine, you might study injuries to players. All these lenses help you see or perceive things.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lens Lens lenses

Sibieta makes the point that, looked at through a different lens, the downward trend in Wales' results is in line with "places like France, Germany, Italy, Spain" while England has been bucking the trend.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

It was cropped and adjusted to improve contrast, and lens artifacts were removed.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

Noah said he approached his work from a committed non-partisan lens: It was not for him to question the legal changes, only to implement them in a way that satisfied voters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

I watched this streaming content through a unique lens because I have a vantage point on this story almost no one else does: I grew up next door to Ted Kaczynski.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

The scrutiny of Barack would be extra intense, the lens always magnified.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

He also denied participating in the student protests in his city of Lens.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

For a rough estimate for what certain items in your home might fetch, try taking photos and then asking Google Lens, eBay Virtual Search or an AI bot like ChatGPT or Google Gemini.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he had requested the pause until the facts of Monday's incident in Lens had been "clarified", with conflicting accounts offered by protesters and officials.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

One league win so far hasn't gone down particularly well internally, nor has the team's leaky defence since the Frenchman's arrival from Lens.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Moving forward towards Lens I looked straight down the streets of that city.

From From Bapaume to Passchendaele, 1917 by Philip Gibbs

Scientists have discovered a surprising ability of light that allows it to develop spinning patterns as it moves through empty space, without relying on special lenses, mirrors, or materials.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Around the corner, a humming high-tech machine presses glass into lenses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

These can visually display data inside the specs' lenses.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Two months in, the rose-colored lenses are especially obfuscating.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

“There’s an eyelash right there,” I said, pointing to one of the thick lenses.

From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor

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• glass

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