When people think about using or getting a telescope, most often it is a refracting telescope. The refracting telescope uses a refractor lens which makes sense. A refracting telescope has light come into the lens and the lens takes in the light and focuses it onto the object so that the person can see the item that is actually far away.
The word refract refers to altering or distorting which is what the telescope does to the object. It makes the object seem closer than it really is. This type of telescope has about ten different kinds that fall into this category. There are general refracting telescopes that are common for students to use, but there are more specific telescopes that can be used for certain purposes.