binocular

[ buh-nok-yuh-ler, bahy- ]
See synonyms for: binocularbinoculars on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. Usually binoculars. Also called pair of binoculars, prism binoculars. an optical device, providing good depth effect, for use with both eyes, consisting of two small telescopes fitted together side by side, each telescope having two prisms between the eyepiece and objective for erecting the image.

adjective
  1. involving both eyes: binocular vision.

Origin of binocular

1
First recorded in 1705–15; bin- + ocular

Other words from binocular

  • bin·oc·u·lar·i·ty, noun
  • bin·oc·u·lar·ly, adverb

Words Nearby binocular

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use binocular in a sentence

  • One of the officers instantly went to the top with his binocular, bringing it to bear on a small, far distant speck on the ocean.

  • But no sign of the Polynesia 55 was discovered through the powerful binocular glasses with which Captain Bergen swept the horizon.

    Adrift on the Pacific | Edward S. Ellis
  • Then getting out a powerful binocular I rode up to a point whence I knew I could command a considerable sweep.

    A Frontier Mystery | Bertram Mitford
  • This identity presupposes the habit of binocular fusion; but convergent squint arises, as a rule, before this habit is acquired.

    Schweigger on Squint | C. Schweigger
  • Examination with the stereoscope showed no normal binocular fusion even during normal position of the eyes.

    Schweigger on Squint | C. Schweigger

British Dictionary definitions for binocular

binocular

/ (bɪˈnɒkjʊlə, baɪ-) /


adjective
  1. involving, relating to, seeing with or intended for both eyes: binocular vision

Origin of binocular

1
C18: from bi- 1 + Latin oculus eye

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

Scientific definitions for binocular

binocular

[ bə-nŏkyə-lər ]


Adjective
  1. Relating to or involving both eyes at once, as in binocular vision.

Noun
  1. An optical device, such as a pair of field glasses, consisting of two small telescopes, designed for use by both eyes at once. Often used in the plural as binoculars.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.