telephoto
1 Americanadjective
-
a brand of apparatus for electrical transmission of photographs.
-
a photograph transmitted by this apparatus.
Etymology
Origin of telephoto
1890–95; short for telephotographic; telephotograph, -ic
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.
It’s hard to imagine a riskier trek, but he managed to pull it off, traveling through cities and towns with a telephoto lens.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025
Armed with binoculars and a telephoto camera, they watch the cobalt waters for one of its great treasures - pygmy blue whales.
From BBC • Dec. 5, 2024
Sometimes she was using a short lens when she should have been using a telephoto lens and vice versa.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2024
The biggest camera upgrade will come exclusively to the iPhone 15 Pro Max: an updated telephoto system with enhanced hardware zoom capabilities.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 9, 2023
While Mr. Das adjusted his telephoto lens, Mrs. Das reached into her straw bag and pulled out a bottle of colorless nail polish, which she proceeded to stroke on the tip of her index finger.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
![]()
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.