lidar

American  

[lahy-dahr] / ˈlaɪ dɑr /

Or LIDAR

noun

Electronics, Optics.

1. a device similar to radar in principle and operation but using infrared laser light instead of radio waves and capable of detecting particles, distant objects, and varying physical conditions in the atmosphere.

---

lidar Scientific  

/ lī′där /

1. A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of pulsed laser light reflected from their surfaces. Lidar operates on the same principles as radar and sonar.

2. The equipment used in such detection.

3. See also Doppler effect radar sonar

---

Etymology

Origin of lidar

1960–65; li(ght ¹ ) + (ra)dar

Example Sentences

Ordered through Verne's app like any rideshare service, the automated vehicles are equipped with multiple cameras, lidar lasers and radars to help navigate the streets.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

The company has fused camera-like technology with lidar, which is essentially laser-based radar, at the microchip level.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

Among the initiatives he oversees is the creation of a digital twin of Weyerhaeuser’s timberlands using satellite imagery, drone photography and lidar, a laser-based sensor technology that self-driving cars use to map their surroundings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Rusch believes that Tesla will struggle to deliver autonomous driving at a level that regulators will accept without light detection and ranging — or lidar — technology, which Musk has criticized.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

There are many other important active sensor classes, three of which are active acoustics, lidar and magnetic anomaly detectors.

From Shock and Awe — Achieving Rapid Dominance by Wade, James P.