tele·pho·to
ˌte-lə-ˈfō-(ˌ)tō 
: being a camera lens system designed to give a large image of a distant object
also
: relating to or being photography in which a telephoto lens is used
plural telephotos
1
: a telephoto lens
2
: a photograph taken with a camera having a telephoto lens
—used for an apparatus for transmitting photographs electrically or for a photograph so transmitted
Examples of telephoto in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
New Atlas, 28 Feb. 2025
There’s a 50-megapixel main camera, an ultrawide, and a 3x telephoto, with a familiar 12-megapixel selfie shooter on the front.
—Dominic Preston, The Verge, 22 Jan. 2025
Matte black and matte white Camera iPhone 16: Two rear camera lenses, 48-megapixel (wide) and 12-megapixel (ultrawide) with 2x telephoto zoom and 12-megapixel front-facing camera.
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025
The best camera phones offer a primary wide camera, an ultrawide, and a telephoto zoom (usually at 5X zoom).
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for telephoto
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The cylindrical top section is home to a 3.4-mm wide-angle lens with a focal length of 6.7 mm (45 mm equiv) and a 35-mm telephoto with a focal length of 150 mm (737 mm equiv), the latter made with low-dispersion glass.
—New Atlas, 28 Feb. 2025
There’s a 50-megapixel main camera, an ultrawide, and a 3x telephoto, with a familiar 12-megapixel selfie shooter on the front.
—Dominic Preston, The Verge, 22 Jan. 2025
Matte black and matte white Camera iPhone 16: Two rear camera lenses, 48-megapixel (wide) and 12-megapixel (ultrawide) with 2x telephoto zoom and 12-megapixel front-facing camera.
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025
The best camera phones offer a primary wide camera, an ultrawide, and a telephoto zoom (usually at 5X zoom).
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for telephoto
Cite this Entry
“Telephoto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephoto. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share