Synonyms

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.

"A lot of artists can have a narrow viewpoint of love and relationships - but with Jim, there's this very wide viewfinder," says Radio 1's Jack Saunders.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

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

From Science Daily • Jan. 29, 2024

It wasn’t the first time this has happened and it’s why I often carry a towel to dry off and keep the sweat from dripping in my viewfinder.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 22, 2023

He set down his old twin-lens Rolleiflex, a lightweight and hand-held apparatus whose top-mounted viewfinder required him to look away from his models while shooting.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2023

When he didn’t go on, Otto shrugged and raised the camera’s viewfinder to eye level.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

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