a transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images
"The photographer adjusted the camera lens to bring the distant mountain range into sharp focus."
genus of small erect or climbing herbs with pinnate leaves and small inconspicuous white flowers and small flattened pods: lentils
"After harvesting the crop, she sorted the dried pods by hand to separate the edible seeds from the chaff."
(metaphor) a channel through which something can be seen or understood
"the writer is the lens through which history can be seen"
biconvex transparent body situated behind the iris in the eye; its role (along with the cornea) is to focus light on the retina
"After cataract surgery, the surgeon replaced her cloudy natural lens with an artificial one to restore clear vision."
electronic equipment that uses a magnetic or electric field in order to focus a beam of electrons
"The electron microscope's lens focused the high-energy stream onto the tiny circuit board, revealing defects invisible to the naked eye."
An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.
"The optometrist adjusted the curvature of the lens to ensure the distant streetlights came into sharp focus on his retina."
In plain English: A lens is a clear piece of glass or plastic that bends light to make things look bigger, smaller, or clearer when you look through it.
"She adjusted the camera lens to get a clearer picture of the bird."
Usage: Use "lens" to refer specifically to the curved piece of glass or plastic in glasses, cameras, and microscopes that bends light. Do not use it as a synonym for "lending," which is a verb meaning to give something temporarily.
To film, shoot.
"The director asked the cameraman to zoom in through his lens to get a closer shot of the actor's expression."
In plain English: To lens something means to put a glass cover over it, usually to protect it or make it clearer.
"The photographer will lens the event to capture every moment from a unique perspective."
Usage: Although "lens" can occasionally be used as a verb meaning to film or photograph something, this usage is nonstandard and should be avoided in favor of clearer alternatives like "shoot," "film," or "capture." Correct usage reserves the noun for referring to the optical glass element itself.
A municipality in Hainaut, Belgium.
"The cycling race took a scenic detour through Lens, stopping briefly at the old town hall in Hainaut before heading north."
The word "lens" entered English via Latin lēns, which originally meant "lentil." Its meaning shifted to refer to an optical device through a medieval borrowing from the Arabic word for both lentils and lenses.