Home › Words › L › lidarlidar/ˈlaɪdɑɹ/lidar means the optical analogue of radar, using intense pulses of laser light to measure the composition and structure of the atmosphere.lidar is pronounced /ˈlaɪdɑɹ/.EtymologyBy anacronymic evolution from LIDAR.nounThe optical analogue of radar, using intense pulses of laser light to measure the composition and structure of the atmosphere.e.g.“Tesla bet on the idea that in the design of self-driving cars, lidar doesn't add enough capability, beyond what the cameras already provide, to be worth the additional cost.”A device that provides such imaging.e.g.“There's a lidar mounted on the roof of that Waymo.”Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.microlidar 62% match — microwave lidar vs lidar →optodynamics 56% match — A range of dynamic measurement techniques that use small lasers. vs lidar →phototachymeter 54% match — An electrooptical instrument for measuring distances. vs lidar →radarlike 52% match — Resembling radar. vs lidar →laserlike 52% match — Resembling a laser. vs lidar →altimetry 51% match — The science of measuring altitude. vs lidar →photoalidade 51% match — A surveying instrument used to plot lines and measure directions between terrestrial features from photographs vs lidar →photomicrometry 50% match — micrometry using light (typically from a laser) vs lidar →