Synonyms

viewfinder

American

[vyoo-fahyn-der] / ˈvjuˌfaɪn dər /

noun

Photography.

finder.

viewfinder British

/ ˈvjuːˌfaɪndə /

noun

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.

See Examples For:

viewfinder

He spotted the insect when it moved, but even then struggled to separate it from its background through the viewfinder.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Was he so concerned with capturing his son’s malaise that he missed details he might’ve seen if one eye weren’t looking through the viewfinder?

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

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

I fit the viewfinder to my eye again.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

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