mike
noun
Also microphone.
mike
1 American
[mahyk]
/ maɪk /
noun
verb (used with object)
miked,
miking
verb (used without object)
miked,
miking
idioms
mike
2
American
[mahyk]
/ maɪk /
noun
mike
3
American
[mahyk]
/ maɪk /
noun
verb (used without object)
miked,
miking
mike
4
American
[mahyk]
/ maɪk /
noun
verb (used with object)
miked,
miking
Mike
5
American
[mahyk]
/ maɪk /
noun
-
a male given name, form of Michael.
-
(lowercase) a word used in communications to represent the letter M.
Mike
1
British
/ maɪk /
noun
mike
2
British
/ maɪk /
noun
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
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.
See Examples For:
“Precise and circumspect, with an avuncular demeanor and an authoritative voice .... Summerall indulged his partner’s many appetites and asides, even when that meant being elbowed aside at the mike and in the limelight.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2024
“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
Yet even with its flaws, the film, by bringing a character like Bri into the cadre of battle rap, is a welcome update to the male bravado types we’re used to seeing dominate the mike.
From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2022
He went to the mike and was brief: “I hope you’re enjoying it as much as I am. And a very good afternoon to you all.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2022
Once there, I crouch in the shadows of a chimney and turn my mike on.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
“The continued contact and ongoing harassment by Mike Matson must stop,” wrote the person, who declined to confirm their identity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Chevron Chief Executive Mike Wirth has suggested his company would continue pivoting toward oil production versus refining over the long term.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Mike Bland, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department, said on Tuesday that the department had not received a report about the vandalism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Sarfaraz Ahmed has replaced by Pakistan white-ball coach Mike Hesson, while Muhammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman and Khurram Shahzad, all of whom have featured in the series, are among the players dropped.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
They were the same agreements, dreamed up by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, that Mike Burry secured before he bought his first credit default swaps.
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
“We miked everybody, and everybody was on separate tracks,” Baumbach says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 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
“These people are walking into a scene that they don’t know is a scene. We’re not miking them. We planted mics and hid some cameras, and a producer is like, ‘We’re shooting a documentary.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
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
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.
