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• mike
  mike

  noun

  Also microphone.
• Mike
  Mike

  noun

  a male given name, form of Michael.

mike

¹ American  

[mahyk] / maɪk /

noun

1. Informal. Also microphone.

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verb (used with object)

miked, miking

1. Informal. to supply or amplify with one or more microphones; attach a microphone to.

   to mike a singer.

verb (used without object)

miked, miking

1. Informal. to use or position a microphone.

   to mike properly when recording a singer.

idioms

1. drop the mike, mic.

mike ² American  

[mahyk] / maɪk /

noun

1. a forklike support for a light cannon on a sailing ship.

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mike ³ American  

[mahyk] / maɪk /

noun

1. loafing; idling.

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verb (used without object)

miked, miking

1. to loaf.

mike ⁴ American  

[mahyk] / maɪk /

noun

1. micrometer.

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verb (used with object)

miked, miking

1. to measure with a micrometer.

Mike ⁵ American  

[mahyk] / maɪk /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Michael.

2. (lowercase) a word used in communications to represent the letter M.

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Mike ¹ British  

/ maɪk /

noun

1. communications a code word for the letter m

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mike ² British  

/ maɪk /

noun

1. informal short for microphone See also mike up

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Etymology

Origin of mike¹

First recorded in 1925–30; by shortening and respelling

Origin of mike²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; perhaps from Middle Dutch micke “forked support”; further origin uncertain

Origin of mike³

First recorded in 1815–25; origin uncertain

Origin of mike⁴

First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening and respelling of micrometer ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mike Mike miked miking

“I never go out and look to grab the mike or go in front of the TV camera. When I go to work everyday, I check my ego at the door.”

From Washington Times ● Dec. 27, 2023

Before the game, Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke had taken the mike and exhorted the crowd to “blow the roof off this joint.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2023

“The mike ‘backer, I see it as the quarterback role on the defense.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2022

Collins’ video captured it exactly, he said: like someone had grabbed the flight attendants’ mike, collapsed at the front of the galley and was just “incapacitated by a severe gastrointestinal problem, and is just moaning.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2022

She strangles the mike with both hands and squeezes her eyes shut.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

After the spin-off, Mike Cavanagh will become chief executive of NBCUniversal, and Comcast’s former chief financial officer, Michael Angelakis, will return to run Comcast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

While the sending off of Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan killed the contest after 27 minutes, Bournemouth were by far the better side up until that point.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Against this backdrop, market makers have been reporting heavy and aggressive buying in Treasury futures, said Mike Lorizio, head of U.S. rates and mortgage trading at Manulife Investment Management.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

Acton, a pediatrician and former health director under Ohio’s current Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, has spoken openly during her campaign about facing abuse and neglect as a child, while in her mother’s custody.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

The billion dollars whoever had sold Mike Burry his credit default swaps stood to lose, if the bonds went bad, replicated the potential losses of an actual bond owner.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Given the size of the venue, Kaufmann was miked.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 27, 2023

In a 2,500-seat auditorium, having a full string section play it is far more effective than a miked string quartet.

From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2023

Sound mixer Roland Winke individually miked the instruments and used a Decca tree, an array of omnidirectional microphones, to capture the full ensemble, leaving the sound team more than 50 tracks to work with.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2022

Not only are the actors miked, but each of the instruments is as well.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2022

Also, once the actors are miked, he doesn’t want Zach biting into an apple and having an audible crunch bounce off the auditorium walls.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

The singer is an emotionally extravagant Erika Stiedry-Wagner, who fought with the composer over miking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2020

Fliakos’s miking, gives his voice a slightly disembodied quality.

From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2019

“There was no proscenium. I couldn’t do scene changes. There was no pit, so the band had to be up and visible. There was no point in miking, because the theatre was too small.”

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 17, 2018

Vocal standouts, despite that harsh miking, include soaring sopranos Jennifer Bromagen, Megan Chenovick and Rachel DeShon, all playing multiple roles.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 14, 2014

T'aint no good miking a fuss about it, yer know, guv'nor!

From Mr. Punch's Cockney Humour by Various

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