Standard Lemma guide

webcam

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈwɛbˌkæm/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A video camera whose output may be viewed in real time over a computer network, originally the World Wide Web.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: arts, computing, engineering, hobbies, lifestyle, mathematics, natural-sciences, photography, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To take part in a video communication using a webcam.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To film and broadcast with a webcam.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a digital camera designed to take digital photographs and transmit them over the internet

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: digital camera

History

Etymology

From Web + cam, shortened from camera.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: كَامِيرَا وِيب (kāmērā web) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Bengali: ওয়েবক্যাম (oebkêm) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Chinese Mandarin: 攝像頭 /摄像头 (shèxiàngtóu) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Chinese Mandarin: 網路攝影機 /网路摄影机 (wǎnglù shèyǐngjī) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Czech: webkamera — video camera viewed over a network
  • Danish: webkamera — video camera viewed over a network
  • Dutch: webcam — video camera viewed over a network
  • Dutch: cam — video camera viewed over a network
  • Esperanto: retkamerao — video camera viewed over a network
  • Esperanto: retfotilo — video camera viewed over a network
  • Faroese: vevmyndatól — video camera viewed over a network
  • Finnish: verkkokamera — video camera viewed over a network
  • Finnish: webbikamera — video camera viewed over a network
  • French: webcam — video camera viewed over a network
  • French: cam — video camera viewed over a network
  • French: webcaméra — video camera viewed over a network
  • Galician: cámara web — video camera viewed over a network
  • Georgian: ვებკამერა (vebḳamera) — video camera viewed over a network
  • German: Webcam — video camera viewed over a network
  • Hindi: वेबकैम (vebkaim) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Icelandic: vefmyndavél — video camera viewed over a network
  • Icelandic: vebbi — video camera viewed over a network
  • Icelandic: vefauga — video camera viewed over a network
  • Icelandic: tölvuauga — video camera viewed over a network
  • Icelandic: glyrna — video camera viewed over a network
  • Italian: webcam — video camera viewed over a network
  • Japanese: ウェブカム (webukamu) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Japanese: ウェブカメラ (webukamera) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Korean: 웹캠 (wepkaem) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Korean: 웹카메라 (wepkamera) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Macedonian: веб-камера (veb-kamera) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nettkamera — video camera viewed over a network
  • Norwegian Bokmål: webkamera — video camera viewed over a network
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: nettkamera — video camera viewed over a network
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: webkamera — video camera viewed over a network
  • Polish: kamer(k)a internetowa — video camera viewed over a network
  • Portuguese: câmara web — video camera viewed over a network
  • Portuguese: webcam — video camera viewed over a network
  • Russian: веб-ка́мера (vɛb-kámera) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Russian: ве́бка (vɛ́bka) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Spanish: cámara web — video camera viewed over a network
  • Spanish: webcam — video camera viewed over a network
  • Swedish: webbkamera — video camera viewed over a network
  • Thai: เว็บแคม (wép kaem) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Thai: เว็บแคเมรา (wép kaemayraa) — video camera viewed over a network
  • Turkish: Web Kamera — video camera viewed over a network
  • Turkish: Webcam — video camera viewed over a network
  • Vietnamese: webcam — video camera viewed over a network
Real reading context

webcam in complete knowledge articles