I. tel ‧ e ‧ scope 1 /ˈteləskəʊp, ˈtelɪskəʊp $ -skoʊp/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Modern Latin ; Origin: telescopium , from Greek teleskopos 'seeing a long way' , from tele- ( ⇨ ↑ tele- ) + skopos 'watcher' ]
a piece of equipment shaped like a tube, used for making distant objects look larger and closer
through a telescope
Details on the moon’s surface can only be seen through a telescope.
⇨ ↑ radio telescope
II. telescope 2 BrE AmE verb
1 . [transitive] to make a process or set of events happen in a shorter time
be telescoped into something
The whole legal process was telescoped into a few weeks.
2 . [intransitive] if something telescopes, the parts of it press together or slide over each other, and it becomes smaller:
The front of the car telescoped when it hit the wall.