microplastic
Americannoun
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a tiny particle of plastic, especially one five millimeters or smaller, formed from the breakdown of plastic waste, shed from synthetic textiles, or intentionally added to various products.
Microplastics are a problem because marine life mistakes the floating particles for food.
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these tiny particles of plastic taken collectively.
Microplastic is still used in some cosmetics and personal care products.
Etymology
Origin of microplastic
First recorded in 1955–60; micro- ( def. ) + plastic ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Their key finding is striking: more than 20 times as many microplastic particles are released into the air from land than from the ocean.
From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2026
Using Amazon sales from August 2023 as a reference point, they calculated that approximately 1.55 trillion microplastic fibers could be released each month.
From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026
Clough added, "As microplastic researchers looking for microplastics in the environment, we're searching for the needle in the haystack, but there really shouldn't be a needle to begin with."
From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026
A new sports centre is set to be approved despite concerns about the risk of microplastic contamination from an artificial pitch.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs previously said 3G pitches were the biggest cause of "intentionally added microplastic pollution" in the environment.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
