microchip

American  

[mahy-kroh-chip] / ˈmaɪ kroʊˌtʃɪp /

noun

Electronics.

• microchips
  plural

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• microchips
  plural

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

See Examples For:

microchip microchips

OpenAI has made other moves to expand its business and justify its $852 billion valuation, most recently with the Jalapeño microchip that it said had outperformed “leading commercially available AI systems.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Although the central microchip is only about the size of a grain of rice, the entire system currently occupies a tabletop laboratory setup.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

A person living nearby had found Charlie living in bushes, feeding the supposed stray for weeks before taking her to the vets, who called Hannah from the number found on the microchip.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The microchip in the dog identified the owner as Martin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Hoopoes called from jacaranda trees, but a microchip went on with a far better selection of birdsong.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

The Shahed—a deceptively simple and destructive flying wedge of fiberglass, microchips and explosives costing as little as $20,000—helps show how weapons proliferation has changed, and why tapping global supply chains is now so important.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

So much so that it warned investors, external that sales of such products would slow down, because Apple is unable to get enough of the microchips that would be required to meet buyer demand.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Salehpour’s father, Ali Salehpour, was an executive at Applied Materials Inc., a supplier of equipment used to make microchips.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

That has since dropped to less than 10 percent, says the government, which is aiming for an eightfold revenue increase from domestically produced microchips by 2040 from 2020 levels.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

“He’s founder and CEO of Sinclair Scientifica, a mammoth multinational technology company that makes everything from microchips to missiles,” said Mother.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Related Words

• chip
• circuitry
• microprocessor
• silicon chip