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  • photo
    photo
    noun
    photograph.
  • photo-
    photo-
    a combining form meaning “light” (photobiology ); also used to represent “photographic” or “photograph” in the formation of compound words.
  • photo–
    photo–
    A prefix that means “light,” as in photoreceptor.
Synonyms

photo

1 American  
[foh-toh] / ˈfoʊ toʊ /

noun

plural

photos

  1. photograph.

  2. Informal. photo finish.

photo- 2 American  

  1. a combining form meaning “light” (photobiology ); also used to represent “photographic” or “photograph” in the formation of compound words.

    photocopy.
photo 1 British  
/ ˈfəʊtəʊ /

noun

  1. short for photograph

"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
photo- 2 British  

combining form

  1. of, relating to, or produced by light

    photosynthesis

  2. indicating a photographic process

    photolithography
"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
photo– Scientific  

  1. A prefix that means “light,” as in photoreceptor.

Etymology

Origin of photo1

First recorded in 1855–60; shortened form of photograph

Origin of photo-2

< Greek, combining form of phôs (genitive phōtós )

Explanation

Snap a picture with your camera and you get a photo, a recorded image made using light. To get a passport, driver's license, or school I.D., you need to have your photo taken. The word photo is short for photograph, a word whose Greek roots mean "written in light." It only took about 20 years after the invention of photographs for people to start using the colloquial (and quicker) photo. If you haven't visited a photo booth with your best friend, you really should; you'll leave with a strip of wonderfully silly photos of the two of you.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing photo

Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: photo

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Words to Know and Academic Words, Unit 3

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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.

"I already told them they have to come back next year," Sheinbaum said, later posting a photo with the group and holding their latest album "ARIRANG."

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

"He is a very snuggly creature and is happiest when nestled on or against someone," the sanctuary adds, alongside a photo of the hippo with its head on the keeper's lap.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

In a full circle moment, these photo shoots took place at 18th Street Arts Center, the longtime home to High Performance.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

All voters need photo ID to vote in person in general elections and parliamentary by-elections wherever they live in the UK.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

Clarke looked similar to her author photo in that she had dark hair and a round face, but she wasn’t nearly as put together as the picture had made her seem.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.