magnifying glass

American  

noun

magnifying glasses plural

1. a lens that produces an enlarged image of an object.

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magnifying glass British  

noun

1. a convex lens used to produce an enlarged image of an object

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• magnifying glasses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of magnifying glass

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

Ternus was on the road at the supplier’s facility, and sometime after midnight he pulled out a magnifying glass to count the circles, finding that the supplier had gotten it wrong, putting in 35 grooves.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Do you really think that foreign governments are at this point, with a magnifying glass, looking at our markets and thinking something might be about to happen?

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

The paper was covered in flow charts, arrows and text so minuscule you almost needed a magnifying glass to read it.

From Salon • Sep. 9, 2025

As most Angelenos will know, the further you move inland, the more the sun feels like someone’s shoved a magnifying glass in front of it.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2025

In the small slide, even with the magnifying glass, Mirjam was barely more than a smudge of sky blue toward the bottom of the frame.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse