Meaning & use

lens

noun·Everyday

A curved piece of glass or plastic that bends light to focus, magnify, or correct vision.

See it in a sentence

She cleaned the camera lens carefully before taking photos of the sunset.

His new glasses used a thinner lens to reduce the weight on his nose.

A note on using this word

Lens is also used figuratively to describe a particular perspective, as in 'viewing history through a modern lens.'

Words with a similar meaning

This term is best learned through its definition and examples.

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

A particular way of looking at or interpreting a subject or situation.

The professor examined the novel through the lens of colonial history.

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