microchip

American  

[mahy-kroh-chip] / ˈmaɪ kroʊˌtʃɪp /

noun

Electronics.

1. chip.

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microchip British  

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊˌtʃɪp /

noun

1. a small piece of semiconductor material carrying many integrated circuits

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verb

1. (tr) to implant (an animal) with a microchip tag linked to a national computer network for purposes of identification

microchip Scientific  

/ mī′krə-chĭp′ /

1. See integrated circuit

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microchip Cultural  

1. The basic component of modern miniaturized electronics. The “chip” is a series of electrical circuits built into a tiny wafer of silicon or another semiconductor.

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Discover More

These circuits may be made by exposing the chip to a high-temperature vapor of controlled composition. The vapor deposits a thin layer (sometimes only a few atoms thick) on the silicon. In this way complex layers of materials, such as those found in transistors can be built up in a very small area.

Etymology

Origin of microchip

First recorded in 1965–70; micro- + chip ¹

Explanation

A microchip is a tiny piece of material that contains electronic circuits allowing it to store a lot of information. Many dogs have microchips so their owners can easily find them if they get lost. Microchips are made by etching an electronic circuit into a bit of silicon the size of a grain of rice. This tiny device can hold computer memory and processors, or be used to conduct electricity. You almost certainly use things that contain microchips just about every day, including calculators, bank ATMs, certain ID cards, cell phones, and televisions. The word microchip was coined in the 1970s from micro-, "small," and the electronics term chip.

Example Sentences

This gives the company a technological moat, more like a microchip maker or enterprise software company, Louthan says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

Business Secretary Peter Kyle says he would have intervened to block the sale of UK microchip company ARM Holdings had he been in government at the time.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

Runaway profits and sky-high valuations for microchip companies have fuelled worker demands over pay packages in South Korea, raising the question: who profits from the artificial intelligence boom?

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

We asked readers which U.S. technologies, including the cotton gin, the microchip and even the dishwasher, have mattered most.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Duke knows the microchip is really a listening device.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• chip
• circuitry
• microprocessor
• silicon chip