microphone

American  

[mahy-kruh-fohn] / ˈmaɪ krəˌfoʊn /

noun

• microphones
  plural

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

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microphone British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• microphones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of microphone

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

Explanation

A microphone is an electric device that amplifies the sound of a voice or instrument. If you're going to stand up in front of a large crowd and want to be heard, you better use a microphone. Microphones require electricity and amplifiers to work — what they do is take a sound and convert it into an electrical signal. That signal can then be amplified and sent to a speaker or recorded. Performers can sing softly into a microphone and still be heard clearly by an audience member at the very back of a huge concert hall. The popularity of radio and film inspired this meaning of microphone — originally, the word meant "ear trumpet for the hard-of-hearing."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

microphone microphones

Visually, the entire set was stunning, with fast cuts of Nancy Whang pounding on her keyboard, Al Doyle whirring his synthesizer, and Murphy shouting into his microphone, wrapped around his arm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

The cosplayer, who breathed heavily into the microphone à la the movie villain, was formally called to the podium by the name Darth Vader.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Mangione leaned into the microphone before him and stated: "Guilty."

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Stand-up comedy is a solo art, and by going it alone with a microphone Gillis built a huge following, starting with men also feeling policed over what they could say or laugh about.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

A lone microphone stand was propped up in a corner of the room, but we weren’t given any instructions and nobody seemed to be in charge.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

Zito has been in touch with park technicians near his home, noting they are sitting with microphones and equipment to capture sonic readings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

He and fellow pundits Joe Hart and Micah Richards swapped their microphones for oars and took to the Hudson River in New York.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

The company UBTech says its "U1" robot -- equipped with eye cameras, chest sensors, and listening microphones -- is the world's first full-sized, ultra-realistic humanoid designed for mass production.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

“Shaping Sounds” offers considerable technical information about microphones, recording equipment and studio layout—a valuable document from the era of analog recording.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Interior Secretary Ickes stepped up to the bank of microphones.

From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman