periscope

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UK/ˈpɛɹɪskəʊp/US/ˈpɛɹɪskoʊp/Australia/ˈpeɹɪskəʉp/New Zealand/ˈpeɹəskɐʉp/

noun

A form of viewing device that allows the viewer to see things at a different height level and usually with minimal visibility.

UncommonScrabble 15

Meanings

periscope1

nounperiscope (plural periscopes)

plural periscopes

  1. A form of viewing device that allows the viewer to see things at a different height level and usually with minimal visibility.
    1 more example

    The waters grew suddenly lighter, and my spirits rose accordingly. I shouted down to those below that I saw daylight ahead, and a great shout of thanksgiving reverberated through the ship. A moment later we emerged into sunlit water, and immediately I raised the periscope and looked about me upon the strangest landscape I had ever seen.

    1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter IV, in Hugo Gernsback, editor, Amazing Stories, (please specify |part=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Experimenter Publishing, 1927, →OCLC
  2. obsoleteA general or comprehensive view.

    […] will show it not only enlarging the periscope of knowledge, but contributing to the amelioration of the condition of unfortunate and suffering humanity […]

    1885, Transactions of the Michigan State Medical Society, page 55
verbperiscope (third-person singular simple present periscopes, present participle periscoping, simple past and past participle periscoped)

present singular third person periscopes · participle present periscoping · participle past periscoped · past periscoped

  1. intransitiveTo rise and peer around, in the manner of a periscope.

    Her black and white head suddenly popped out from under the covers and periscoped around.

    2010, Jim Moran, The Sentinel: A Wildfire Story, page 236
    3 more examples

    Thousands of ungainly black-beaked heads would periscope and freeze in the direction of the approaching intruder.

    1951, National Geographic Magazine: Volume 99

    The second summer I had a great deal of interest but weeks passed before I worked up the nerve to approach her, the confidence finally gained when I caught a queen snake that periscoped within reach, one of the last I ever saw swimming in Cross Creek.

    1987, Field & Stream March 1987

    Areas of barren sand are likely spots to look for its [the turtle's] periscoping head. Its fondness for the bottom is equally matched by its ability to quickly disappear and tunnel into it.

    2008, Doug Stamm, The Springs of Florida, page 99

Periscope2

verbPeriscope (third-person singular simple present Periscopes, present participle Periscoping, simple past and past participle Periscoped)

present singular third person Periscopes · participle present Periscoping · participle past Periscoped · past Periscoped

  1. InternetintransitivetransitiveTo broadcast live video stream using Periscope app via phone or tablet.

    And photographer Patrick Witty (2015 ) Periscoped refugees landing in Lesbos, Greece, for BuzzFeed News.

    2018, Claudette G. Artwick, “Social Media Livestreaming”, in Scott Eldridge II, Bob Franklin, editors, The Routledge Handbook of Developments in Digital Journalism, page 298
    2 more examples

    Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton Periscoped her first major campaign rally with Olympian Michelle Kwan as the host of the live stream.

    2015, Marketing Trends Guide 2016, page 8

    When Manchester City fan Josh Chambers “Periscoped” an entire away match at Crystal Palace in February 2017, notionally for the benefit of his stay-at-home dad, the stream was watched by more than 139,000 stay-at-home fans.

    2017, Paul Brown, Savage Enthusiasm: A History of Football Fans, page 277

Origin

periscope · noun, verb

Formed in English from peri- + -scope.

Full word history & related roots →

Periscope · verb

From the brand name Periscope.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan periscopi
  • periscopiviewing device
Chinese Mandarin 潛望鏡 /潜望镜
  • 潛望鏡 /潜望镜 (qiánwàngjìng)viewing device
Czech periskop
  • periskopviewing device
Danish periskop
  • periskopviewing device
Dutch periscoop
  • periscoopviewing device
Esperanto periskopo
  • periskopoviewing device
Finnish periskooppi
  • periskooppiviewing device
French périscope
  • périscopeviewing device
German Periskop
  • Periskopviewing device
Greek περισκόπιο
  • περισκόπιο (periskópio)viewing device
Indonesian periskop
  • periskopviewing device
Italian periscopio
  • periscopioviewing device
Japanese 潜望鏡
  • 潜望鏡 (senbōkyō)viewing device
Korean 잠망경
  • 잠망경 (jammanggyeong)viewing device
Malay teropong corong, teropong hendap
  • teropong corongviewing device
  • teropong hendapviewing device
  • teropong intipviewing device
  • periskopviewing device
Norwegian Bokmål periskop
  • periskopviewing device
Portuguese periscópio
  • periscópioviewing device
Russian периско́п
  • периско́п (periskóp)viewing device
Spanish periscopio
  • periscopioviewing device
Swedish periskop
  • periskopviewing device
Cite this entry
APA

periscope. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periscope

MLA

“periscope.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periscope. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “periscope,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periscope.

Source: periscope on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.