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viewfinder

American  
[vyoo-fahyn-der] / ˈvyuˌfaɪn dər /

noun

Photography.

  1. finder.

viewfinder British  
/ ˈvjuːˌfaɪndə /

noun

  1. Sometimes shortened to: finder.  a device on a camera, consisting of a lens system and sometimes a ground-glass screen, enabling the user to see what will be included in his photograph

"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

Etymology

Origin of viewfinder

First recorded in 1890–95; view + finder

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"A lot of artists can have a narrow viewpoint of love and relationships - but with Jim, there's this very wide viewfinder," says Radio 1's Jack Saunders.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

When on his lunch break, he takes snapshots of trees without looking through the viewfinder.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2024

That day, something exciting appeared on the viewfinder of Gauna's drone camera.

From Science Daily • Jan. 29, 2024

He looked through the viewfinder of a camera pointed toward his father, who was playing on the floor with his sister Bleu.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2023

He looked through the viewfinder and aimed it toward the golden hills in the distance.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.