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telephoto

noun · adjective · verb

Simple meaning

Of or about a lens system used to produce an enlarged image of a distant object.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

tehluhfohtoh

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈtɛləfoʊtoʊ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. colloquial

    A photograph made with a telephoto lens

  2. colloquial

    A photograph taken through a telephoto lens.

adjective

  1. Of or pertaining to a lens system used to produce an enlarged image of a distant object.

verb

  1. Synonym of telephotograph.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Formality
Technical

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

telephoto lenstelephoto lenseslong telephotoshort telephotomedium telephototelephoto zoommoderate telephototelephoto shot

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • telephoto lensnounCompound term

    A camera lens that magnifies the image.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.