zoom lens

noun

1. (in a camera or motion-picture projector) a lens assembly whose focal length can be continuously adjusted to provide various degrees of magnification without any loss of focus, thus combining the features of wide-angle, normal, and telephoto lenses.

zoom lens

noun

1. a lens system that allows the focal length of a camera lens to be varied continuously without altering the sharpness of the image See also telephoto lens

Word History and Origins

Origin of zoom lens¹

First recorded in 1935–40