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pinhole camera

American

noun

a simple camera in which an aperture provided by a pinhole in an opaque diaphragm is used in place of a lens.

pinhole camera British

noun

a camera with a pinhole as an aperture instead of a lens

"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 pinhole camera

First recorded in 1890–95

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.

If you don't have access to eclipse glasses, you can create a simple pinhole camera with just two sheets of cardboard or even use a colander to project the Sun's image safely onto the ground.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2025

I walked over to the Oclipsinator, a large pinhole camera that projected the eclipse onto a white card.

From Slate • Apr. 8, 2024

If you cannot get one, make a pinhole camera and project the Sun's disk onto paper or another surface.

From DOGO News • Oct. 10, 2023

Federal agents got wind of the arrangement and placed a pinhole camera in the wall opposite his favorite chair.

From New York Times • Jul. 9, 2022

The pinhole camera concealed in the locator had worked perfectly.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

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