telescope

[ tel-uh-skohp ]

/ ˈtɛl əˌskoʊp /

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See synonyms for: telescope / telescoped on Thesaurus.com

noun

an optical instrument for making distant objects appear larger and therefore nearer. One of the two principal forms (refracting telescope, or refractor ) consists essentially of an objective lens set into one end of a tube and an adjustable eyepiece or combination of lenses set into the other end of a tube that slides into the first and through which the enlarged object is viewed directly; the other form (reflecting telescope, or reflector ) has a concave mirror that gathers light from the object and focuses it into an adjustable eyepiece or combination of lenses through which the reflection of the object is enlarged and viewed.Compare radio telescope.

Telescope, Astronomy. the constellation Telescopium.

adjective

consisting of parts that fit and slide one within another.

verb (used with object), tel·e·scoped, tel·e·scop·ing.

to force together, one into another, or force into something else, in the manner of the sliding tubes of a jointed telescope.

to shorten or condense; compress: to telescope the events of five hundred years into one history lecture.

verb (used without object), tel·e·scoped, tel·e·scop·ing.

to slide together, or into something else, in the manner of the tubes of a jointed telescope.

to be driven one into another, as railroad cars in a collision.

to be or become shortened or condensed.

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Origin of telescope

First recorded in 1610–20; tele-¹ + -scope; replacing telescopium (from New Latin ) and telescopio (from Italian ); see -ium

OTHER WORDS FROM telescope

non·tel·e·scop·ing, adjective

Words nearby telescope

TelePrompTer, teleran, telerecording, telesales, telescience, telescope, telescope eyes, Telescope Peak, telescopic, telescopic sight, Telescopium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use telescope in a sentence

In the four centuries since humans first pointed their telescopes at Mars, no eruption has been seen, leading to the assumption that it’s volcanically dead.
Rumbles on Mars Raise Hopes of Underground Magma Flows|Robin George Andrews|February 1, 2021|Quanta Magazine
The CHEOPS observations confirmed intermediate work from other telescopes, and eventually a collaboration of roughly 200 astronomers managed to piece together a more complete picture of the system.
These 6 exoplanets somehow orbit their star in perfect rhythm|Charlie Wood|January 27, 2021|Popular-Science
Ordinarily, we point telescopes at some object we want to see in greater detail.
How Many Galaxies Are in the Universe? A New Answer From the Darkest Sky Ever Observed|Jason Dorrier|January 15, 2021|Singularity Hub
Together, these telescopes will provide unprecedented views of the sun, helping to solve some of the most enduring mysteries of our star.
The Parker Solar Probe will have company on its next pass by the sun|Lisa Grossman|January 15, 2021|Science News

They allowed me to get toys that were clever, even though we couldn’t afford them — mechanical toys and telescopes.
A Prodigy Who Cracked Open the Cosmos|Claudia Dreifus|January 12, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Williams did it with me several times, for instance when I mentioned the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Stacks: Robin Williams, More Than A Shtick Figure|Joe Morgenstern|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The instrument is attached to the Anglo-Australian Telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory, northwest of Sydney, Australia.
SAMI Is Like Google Earth for the Universe|Matthew R. Francis|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Swift telescope is designed to detect any amount of extra high-energy light, then turn to locate the source.
The Gamma-Ray Burst That Wasn’t|Matthew R. Francis|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you live in a place with a dark night sky, you might be able to see M31 without a telescope.
The Gamma-Ray Burst That Wasn’t|Matthew R. Francis|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the results coming out of BOSS are beautiful, even if the telescope is hideous.
Using Black Holes to Measure Dark Energy, Like a BOSS|Matthew R. Francis|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another crash, which nearly shut up his spine like a telescope, told him that there were no wings.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
To spy out the land with a naval telescope over a mile of sea means taking a lot on trust as we learned to our cost on April 25th.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
These instruments were of a simple nature, for the magnifying glass was not yet contrived, and so the telescope was impossible.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
With the telescope somewhere near a hundred million are brought within the limits of vision.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
He put his canvas telescope down, and placed a heavy foot on it for safety.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland

British Dictionary definitions for telescope

telescope

/ (ˈtɛlɪˌskəʊp) /

noun

an optical instrument for making distant objects appear larger and brighter by use of a combination of lenses (refracting telescope) or lenses and curved mirrors (reflecting telescope)See also terrestrial telescope, astronomical telescope, Cassegrain telescope, Galilean telescope, Newtonian telescope

any instrument, such as a radio telescope, for collecting, focusing, and detecting electromagnetic radiation from space

verb

to crush together or be crushed together, as in a collisionthe front of the car was telescoped by the impact

to fit together like a set of cylinders that slide into one another, thus allowing extension and shortening

to make or become smaller or shorterthe novel was telescoped into a short play

Word Origin for telescope

C17: from Italian telescopio or New Latin telescopium, literally: far-seeing instrument; see tele-, -scope

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

Scientific definitions for telescope

telescope

[ tĕl′ĭ-skōp′ ]

An arrangement of lenses, mirrors, or both that collects visible light, allowing direct observation or photographic recording of distant objects.♦ A refracting telescope uses lenses to focus light to produce a magnified image. Compound lenses are used to avoid distortions such as spherical and chromatic aberrations.♦ A reflecting telescope uses mirrors to view celestial objects at high levels of magnification. Most large optical telescopes are reflecting telescopes because very large mirrors, which are necessary to maximize the amount of light received by the telescope, are easier to build than very large lenses.

Any of various devices, such as a radio telescope, used to detect and observe distant objects by collecting radiation other than visible light.

Cultural definitions for telescope

telescope

A device used by astronomers to magnify images or collect more light from distant objects by gathering and concentrating radiation. The most familiar kind of telescope is the optical telescope, which collects radiation in the form of visible light. It may work by reflection, with a bowl-shaped mirror at its base, or by refraction, with a system of lenses. Other kinds of telescopes collect other kinds of radiation; there are radio telescopes (which collect radio waves), x-ray telescopes, and infrared telescopes. Radio and optical telescopes may be situated on the Earth, since the Earth's atmosphere allows light and radio waves through but absorbs radiation from several other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. X-ray telescopes are placed in space.

telescope

Origin of telescope

OTHER WORDS FROM telescope

Words nearby telescope

Words related to telescope

How to use telescope in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for telescope

Word Origin for telescope

Scientific definitions for telescope

Cultural definitions for telescope