microphone

American  

[mahy-kruh-fohn] / ˈmaɪ krəˌfoʊn /

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of microphone

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

Example Sentences

Once a star-making medium for nobodies with a dream and a microphone, podcasts are now dominated by the already-famous.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

The winners in the live-action short film category had the microphone turned back on after initially being played off the stage.

From Salon • Mar. 16, 2026

Eric Musselman sat behind a microphone at the bitter end of a bitter regular season for USC, armed only with the same explanations for how a once-hopeful season could come so undone.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026

TELLURIDE, Colo.—On a snowy March evening last year, a local official stepped to the microphone to declare that this winter ski paradise was in crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

A reporter—Liz Ocavello, a sort of local celebrity, with her own current-issues program and a segment called “Movie Beat” on the local news—approached, microphone in hand.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt