microphone

[mahy-kruh-fohn]

noun

1. an instrument capable of transforming sound waves into changes in electric currents or voltage, used in recording or transmitting sound.

microphone

/ ˈmaɪkrəˌfəʊn /

noun

1. Informal name: mike. a device used in sound-reproduction systems for converting sound into electrical energy, usually by means of a ribbon or diaphragm set into motion by the sound waves. The vibrations are converted into the equivalent audio-frequency electric currents See also carbon microphone Compare loudspeaker

Word History and Origins

Origin of microphone¹

1875–80; micro-, in sense “enlarging” (extracted from microscope ) + -phone

Example Sentences

It was just three days earlier when Judge found himself surrounded by cameras and microphones on Saturday, having to explain how he yet again had shrunk when the Yankees needed him most.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

“I don’t want to keep doing this. I’m going to call it,” she said, before trying to remove her microphone.

Read more on Salon

Later, at a holiday party, a sergeant speaking over a microphone at an event referred to Clasby’s young child as her and her husband’s “f— trophy,” according to the lawsuit.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But they're always nearby - behind a microphone, at a keyboard, or in the stands - ready to pounce after a mistake.

Read more on BBC

"I feel with power comes responsibility. Every time someone puts a microphone next to you, there's a chance to talk about issues, to generate conversation," he says.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• mic 
• mike