Meaning & use
magnifying glass
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A hand-held lens with a handle that makes small objects look bigger when you look through it.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a magnifying glass' or 'two magnifying glasses'.
Patterns
- look at something through a magnifying glass
- use a magnifying glass to do something
She used a magnifying glass to read the tiny print.
The detective examined the fingerprint with a magnifying glass.
With a magnifying glass, you can see the details of the insect's wings.
Word forms
| plural | magnifying glasses |
|---|
Common combinations
- look through a magnifying glass
- He looked through a magnifying glass at the coin.
- under a magnifying glass
- The fibers were examined under a magnifying glass.
- with a magnifying glass
- She read the small print with a magnifying glass.
- hand-held magnifying glass
- A hand-held magnifying glass is useful for reading maps.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hand lens
- A hand lens is a more technical term for a small magnifying glass, often used by scientists.
- loupe
- A loupe is a small magnifying lens worn by jewelers or watchmakers, often attached to the eye or head.
Word family
- magnify verb
- To make something appear larger.
- magnification noun
- The act of making something look bigger, or the degree to which it is made bigger.
Commonly confused: magnifying glass or microscope?
magnifying glass vs microscope
A microscope uses multiple lenses and can magnify much more than a magnifying glass, which is a single lens.
Practice
What is a magnifying glass used for?
Choose one answer.
A magnifying glass is a lens that makes objects look bigger. The other options describe a thermometer, a ruler or scissors, and a stethoscope or microphone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “magnifying glass”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.