What does "camera" mean?
A device for taking still or moving pictures or photographs.
Camera
/ˈkæm.ə.ɹə/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A device for taking still or moving pictures or photographs.
- Grammar: camera is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: photographic camera, achromatic lens, aerial reconnaissance camera, astigmatic lens.
- Useful contrasts: still camera, unmonitored camera, video camera.
- Usage evidence: I'm going to buy myself a new camera, digital this time.
How to use "camera"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "camera" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "camera" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "camera" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "camera" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "camera" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "photographic camera" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "camera", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A device for taking still or moving pictures or photographs.
"The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail. It’s therefore not surprising that most cameras mimic this arrangement."
- 2 equipment for taking photographs (usually consisting of a lightproof box with a lens at one end and light-sensitive film at the other) wordnet
- 3 The viewpoint in a three-dimensional game or simulation.
"If you're building a third-person game with enclosed or tight spaces, try to figure out up front what camera problems you will likely encounter. Use this identification process to influence the early building process."
- 4 television equipment consisting of a lens system that focuses an image on a photosensitive mosaic that is scanned by an electron beam wordnet
- 5 A vaulted room.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A judge's private chamber, where cases may be heard in camera.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
still cameraunmonitored cameravideo camera
Example
"I'm going to buy myself a new camera, digital this time."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "camera"?
Common synonyms include: photographic camera, achromatic lens, aerial reconnaissance camera, astigmatic lens, astrograph, box camera.
How do you use "camera" in a sentence?
I'm going to buy myself a new camera, digital this time.
How do you pronounce "camera"?
Pronounced /ˈkæm.ə.ɹə/.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin camera (“chamber or bedchamber”), from Ancient Greek καμάρα (kamára, “anything with an arched cover, a covered carriage or boat, a vaulted chamber, a vault”), of Old Iranian origin, from Proto-Iranian *kamarā- (“something curved”), from *kamárati, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kmárati, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- (“to bend, curve”). Doublet of chamber. (device): A clipping of camera obscura, from New Latin camera obscura (“dark chamber”), because the first cameras used a pinhole and a dark room.