viewfinder

American

[vyoo-fahyn-der] / ˈvjuˌfaɪn dər /

noun

Photography.

finder.

viewfinder British

/ ˈvjuːˌfaɪndə /

noun

Sometimes shortened to: finder. a device on a camera, consisting of a lens system and sometimes a ground-glass screen, enabling the user to see what will be included in his 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

Etymology

Origin of viewfinder

First recorded in 1890–95; view + finder

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.

See Examples For:

viewfinder

Was he so concerned with capturing his son’s malaise that he missed details he might’ve seen if one eye weren’t looking through the viewfinder?

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

She daydreams about installing a pier for fishing, lookout points along the shore and adult treehouses for glamping among conifers so tall they don’t fit in a camera’s viewfinder.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2024

That day, something exciting appeared on the viewfinder of Gauna's drone camera.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 29, 2024

A space enthusiast in Nepal has filmed the Harvest Supermoon by putting his mobile phone to the viewfinder of his telescope.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2023

He raised the camera so that those in the very front of the audience could see the viewfinder.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

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