microplastic

American  

[mahy-kroh-plas-tik] / ˈmaɪ kroʊˌplæs tɪk /

noun

1. 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.

2. these tiny particles of plastic taken collectively.

   Microplastic is still used in some cosmetics and personal care products.

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Etymology

Origin of microplastic

First recorded in 1955–60; micro- ( def. ) + plastic ( def. )

Example Sentences

However, their chemical similarity to certain plastics makes them difficult to distinguish in lab analyses, increasing the risk of false positives when studying microplastic pollution.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

In addition, the scientists created a model to estimate how much microplastic has entered forests from the atmosphere since the 1950s.

From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 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

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 idea is to bring "all of the different labs doing this type of work into an aligned language" that expresses how confident they are that they detected microplastic, he said.

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026