micro
extremely small.
minute in scope or capability.
of or relating to microcomputers.
of or relating to microeconomics.
Origin of micro
1Other definitions for micro- (2 of 2)
a combining form with the meanings “small” (microcosm; microgamete), “very small in comparison with others of its kind” (microcassette; microlith), “too small to be seen by the unaided eye” (microfossil; microorganism), “dealing with extremely minute organisms, organic structures, or quantities of a substance” (microdissection; microscope), “localized, restricted in scope or area” (microburst; microhabitat), “(of a discipline) focusing on a restricted area” (microeconomics), “containing or dealing with texts that require enlargement to be read” (microfilm; microreader), “one millionth” (microgram).
Origin of micro-
2- Also especially before a vowel, micr-.
Words that may be confused with micro-
- macro-, micro-
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use micro in a sentence
This sense of vulnerability is, of course, even more acute in micro-states like Jamaica.
How Maurice Tomlinson Was Outed in Jamaica—and Forced Into Exile | Jay Michaelson | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut as in the U.S. it also reflects the move from industrial-scale brewing to micro-brewings.
There is certainly a lucrative yet dignified sweet spot between small time micro-brewer and soulless mass-producer.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama | Jeff Campagna | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEven in the smallest of Indian locales, the divisions of geography and nationalism are played out on a micro scale.
MacGregor convinced many to invest in, and hundreds to even move to, his fictional micro-nation.
So You Want to Rule a Kingdom? A Wacky History of One-Man Nations | Nina Strochlic | July 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It is probably caused by two micro-organisms living in symbiosis—one a fusiform bacillus, the other a long spirillum (Fig. 124).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddUpon ulcerated surfaces it is often mingled with other spiral micro-organisms, which adds to the difficulty of its detection.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddHe watched as Arnold conferred with a group of his techs about a micro-chron, and the time was carefully noted for Central Record.
We're Friends, Now | Henry HasseAlbert selected all the incriminating letters and documents he could find and packed the micro-files in his jacket.
Insidekick | Jesse Franklin BonePathological micro-organisms have very complicated products which are in large part poisonous.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin Malley
British Dictionary definitions for micro (1 of 2)
/ (ˈmaɪkrəʊ) /
very small
British Dictionary definitions for micro- (2 of 2)
small or minute: microspore
involving the use of a microscope: micrography
indicating a method or instrument for dealing with small quantities: micrometer
(in pathology) indicating abnormal smallness or underdevelopment: microcephaly; microcyte Compare macro- (def. 2)
denoting 10 –6: microsecond Symbol: μ
Origin of micro-
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for micro-
A prefix that means: small (as in microorganism) or one millionth (as in microsecond).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse