Camera Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms camera 1 American [kam-er-uh, kam-ruh] / ˈkæm ər ə, ˈkæm rə /

noun

1. a device for capturing a photographic image or recording a video, using film or digital memory.

2. (in a television transmitting apparatus) the device in which the picture to be televised is formed before it is changed into electric impulses.

adjective

1. Printing. camera-ready.

idioms

1. on camera, being filmed or televised by a live camera.

   Be sure to look alert when you are on camera.

2. off camera,

   1. out of the range of a video camera, as a television or motion picture camera.

      The stunt woman was waiting just off camera for her cue to enter the scene.

   2. (of an actor) in one’s private rather than professional life.

      The two co-stars are best friends off camera.

camera 2 American [kam-er-uh] / ˈkæm ər ə /

noun

plural

camerae

1. a judge's private office.

idioms

1. in camera,

   1. Law. in the privacy of a judge's chambers.

   2. privately.

camera British / ˈkæmrə, ˈkæmərə /

noun

1. an optical device consisting of a lens system set in a light-proof construction inside which a light-sensitive film or plate can be positioned See also cine camera digital camera

2. television the equipment used to convert the optical image of a scene into the corresponding electrical signals

3. See camera obscura

4. a judge's private room

5. 1. law relating to a hearing from which members of the public are excluded

   2. in private

6. not within an area being filmed

7. (esp of an actor) being filmed

"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 camera1

First recorded in 1730–40; shortening of camera obscura ( def. ); 1840-45 camera 1 for def. 1; utimately from Latin camera “vaulted room, vault”; see camera 2 ( def. )

Origin of camera2

First recorded in 1630–40; for earlier sense “vaulted room,” from Latin, from Greek kamára “vault, vaulted room”; see chamber ( def. )

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.

Last spring, he posted a “video dissent” in a 2nd Amendment case in which he loaded several guns on camera.

From Los Angeles Times

On the flip side, older cars usually come without modern features, including lane assist and a backup camera.

From MarketWatch

The digital counter stands outside the Smart Sampa monitoring center, where dozens of police officers watch images streaming in from 40,000 cameras in the Brazilian megalopolis.

From Barron's

Existing models, he said, handle simple static shots reasonably well but struggle with complex camera movements and consistent performance across multiple takes.

From Barron's

A two-reel camera on spindly legs was planted in the middle of the street.

From Literature

Related Words

• camcorder

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.