Illustration of opera glass
opera glass
noun
: a small low-power binocular without prisms for use at the opera or theater
—often used in plural
Examples of opera glass in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There, untouched in the debris field, are opera glasses that might have belonged to theater owner, Henry B. Harris, who died in the sinking.
—
Sean Kingsley, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025
People do like screens and close-ups, which make opera glasses obsolete.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024
In cities, people flocked to parks with binoculars — or opera glasses.
—Heller McAlpin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
To experience New York’s best people-watching for yourself, buy a Family Circle seat for under fifty dollars and bring opera glasses.
—The New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2023
Newspaper ads of the day reveal a motley tenant roster that included the Sons of Temperance and an auction house selling odds and ends like seashells, opera glasses and pistols.
—John Freeman Gill, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2019
Eager to try out daguerrotypy, a photography method that had been invented just two months prior, Cornelius set up a large box camera with a lens fashioned from a pair of opera glasses, according to the Library of Congress.
—Scottie Andrew and Brian Ries, CNN, 21 June 2019
The black enameled opera glasses were recently acquired by M.S. Rau Antiques, a shop on the French Quarter's Royal Street.
—Fox News, 28 Sep. 2018
The magenta curtains were elegantly poised as if concertgoers were attending a proper theatrical performance begging to be seen through opera glasses.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 1 June 2018
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Sean Kingsley, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025
People do like screens and close-ups, which make opera glasses obsolete.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024
In cities, people flocked to parks with binoculars — or opera glasses.
—Heller McAlpin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
To experience New York’s best people-watching for yourself, buy a Family Circle seat for under fifty dollars and bring opera glasses.
—The New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2023
Newspaper ads of the day reveal a motley tenant roster that included the Sons of Temperance and an auction house selling odds and ends like seashells, opera glasses and pistols.
—John Freeman Gill, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2019
Eager to try out daguerrotypy, a photography method that had been invented just two months prior, Cornelius set up a large box camera with a lens fashioned from a pair of opera glasses, according to the Library of Congress.
—Scottie Andrew and Brian Ries, CNN, 21 June 2019
The black enameled opera glasses were recently acquired by M.S. Rau Antiques, a shop on the French Quarter's Royal Street.
—Fox News, 28 Sep. 2018
The magenta curtains were elegantly poised as if concertgoers were attending a proper theatrical performance begging to be seen through opera glasses.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 1 June 2018
Cite this Entry
“Opera glass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opera%20glass. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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