lens
noun
\ ˈlenz
\
\
Definition of lens
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a
: a piece of transparent material (such as glass) that has two opposite regular surfaces either both curved or one curved and the other plane and that is used either singly or combined in an optical instrument for forming an image by focusing rays of light
b
: a combination of two or more simple lenses
c
: a piece of glass or plastic used (as in safety goggles or sunglasses) to protect the eye
2
: a device for directing or focusing radiation other than light (such as sound waves, radio microwaves, or electrons)
3
: something shaped like a biconvex optical lens
lens of sandstone
4
: a highly transparent biconvex lens-shaped or nearly spherical body in the eye that focuses light rays (as upon the retina) — see eye illustration
5
: something that facilitates and influences perception, comprehension, or evaluation
viewing the current legal battle … through partisan lenses — New Republic
lens
verb
lensed;
lensing;
lenses
Definition of lens (Entry 2 of 3)
: to make a motion picture of : film
Lens
geographical name
\ ˈläⁿs
\
\
Definition of Lens (Entry 3 of 3)
commune in northern France southwest of Lille population 35,032
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Other Words from lens
Noun
lensed
\ ˈlenzd
\
adjective
\
adjective
lensless
\ ˈlenz-ləs
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of lens in a Sentence
Noun
Make sure the lens of the microscope is clean.Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
His eyes pierce through the lens of his sunglasses, which stay on even in the shade. — Krystal Rodriguez, Billboard, "Compton-Raised Channel Tres Is Taking His West Coast-Inspired Dance Music Worldwide," 15 Aug. 2019 From that lens, the NFL can insist that the Sunday Ticket enhances the league’s overall brand with consumers. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Why DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket Might Be Illegal Under Antitrust Law," 14 Aug. 2019 Greg Gaut, a former history teacher at St. Mary’s University in Winona, concentrates in this slim paperback on historic preservation through the lens of three St. Paul branch libraries built in 1917 and funded by Andrew Carnegie. — Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, "Reading recommendations: Mystery, nonfiction and books for kids from Minnesota writers," 27 July 2019 The Girls is also — like many recent stories about the Manson family, fictional and otherwise — a refracting lens for the stories of the Manson girls, which are also told in movies like the 2019 film Charlie Says. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "How the Manson family became a pop culture trope," 8 Aug. 2019 Real estate offers a unique lens through which to learn about a person. — Los Angeles Times, "Hot Property Newsletter: Hollywood through a lens," 3 Aug. 2019 Still, Helfrich emphasized the need for coaches and players to see everything through a big-picture lens. — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, "6 things we learned from Bears coordinators, including how Chuck Pagano feels blessed with this defense," 2 Aug. 2019 City officials who all know each other in such a small community are under a much, much smaller lens, Wilkinson said. — Natalie Hanson, The Mercury News, "Small-town serenity sets Biggs apart in Northern California ‘housing catastrophe’," 29 July 2019 The committees are only required to submit monthly reports but through a Q2 lens — April to June — the DCCC out fundraised the NRCC by about $10 million, $29.2 million to the NRCC's $19.4 million. — Caitlin Conant, CBS News, "2020 Daily Trail Markers: An early look at which Democrats qualify for the 3rd debate," 22 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Each photographer on this list is already quite prolific, shooting magazine covers, releasing coffee table books, and lensing major ad campaigns. — Jessica Andrews, Teen Vogue, "Black Fashion Photographers to Follow on Instagram," 7 Aug. 2018 Check out the full collection, modeled by Kardashian and lensed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott below. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kim Kardashian Just Released $90 Sunglasses and They’re Good," 5 Apr. 2019 Tanja capped off her royal meeting with a quick photoshoot lensed by Edwards, a surreal experience for her. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Duchess Camilla Surprised Her Biggest Fan in the Sweetest Way Possible," 13 May 2019 Working with an obviously low budget, debut helmer Ramsay stages the occasionally gory proceedings cleanly and efficiently, aided by Alexander Alexandrov's impressive widescreen lensing and Chris Westlake's suitably tense musical score. — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Midnighters': Film Review," 1 Mar. 2018 Hadid noted that shooting this calendar was much different than her first time appearing in Pirelli's 2015 calendar lensed by Steven Meisel. — Chrissy Rutherford, Harper's BAZAAR, "Gigi Hadid Talks Success and Loneliness for the 2019 Pirelli Calendar," 26 July 2018 Andreas Laszlo Konrath will lens the endeavor, which will star Camille Rowe alongside Carmelo Anthony, photographer Glen Luchford, and tattoo artist Alex McWatt. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince George Cheers on William at Father's Day Polo Match," 16 June 2014 However, what's really caught our eye is the fact that the empowering images lensed by Mayan Toledano show Lourdes unapologetically flaunting her armpit hair. — Kristin Corpuz, Teen Vogue, "Lourdes Leon Shows Off Body Hair In New Converse x MadeMe Campaign," 21 May 2018 Richard Avedon lensed her five Vogue covers, in all of which the model is heavily accessorized with big jewelry and, in one case, a silver tinsel wig. — Vogue, "Catching Up With Renée Toft Simonsen, “Face of the ’80s” Modeling Contest Winner and 5-Time Vogue Cover Girl," 13 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lens.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for lens
lens
noun
English Language Learners Definition of lens
: a clear curved piece of glass or plastic that is used in eyeglasses, cameras, telescopes, etc., to make things look clearer, smaller, or bigger
: the clear part of the eye that focuses light to form clear images
See the full definition for lens in the English Language Learners Dictionary
lens
noun
\ ˈlenz
\
\
Kids Definition of lens
1
: a clear curved piece of material (as glass) used to bend the rays of light to form an image
2
: a clear part of the eye behind the pupil and iris that focuses rays of light on the retina to form clear images