zoetrope

American  

[zoh-ee-trohp] / ˈzoʊ iˌtroʊp /

noun

1. a device for giving an illusion of motion, consisting of a slitted drum that, when whirled, shows a succession of images placed opposite the slits within the drum as one moving image.

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zoetrope British  

/ ˈzəʊɪˌtrəʊp /

noun

1. a cylinder-shaped toy with a sequence of pictures on its inner surface which, when viewed through the vertical slits spaced regularly around it while the toy is rotated, produce an illusion of animation

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Etymology

Origin of zoetrope

1865–70; irregular < Greek zōḗ life + tropḗ turn

Example Sentences

Fairytale is the third best-selling single of the week thanks to a limited-edition zoetrope vinyl, which was released on Friday.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2025

Prominent in the upgrade is a circular building called the Commons that was inspired by the shape of a zoetrope, a round spinning device used in pre-film animation.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025

Sit in the zoetrope, pull a lever and watch as a castle grows then shrinks all around you, or an outstretched hand with an apple zooms in and out.

From Washington Post • Aug. 27, 2018

By the time this 3-D zoetrope from 4-Mation is up to speed, your brain’s out to lunch—and those little amphibians are totally jumping.

From Slate • Dec. 12, 2017

Biograph, bī′o-graf, n. a name sometimes applied to a form of the zoetrope contrived so as to exhibit the successive movements of a living body, thus simulating life.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various