microscope

noun

mi·​cro·​scope ˈmī-krə-ˌskōp 

1

: an optical instrument consisting of a lens or combination of lenses for making enlarged images of minute objects

especially : compound microscope

2

: a non-optical instrument (such as one using radiations other than light or using vibrations) for making enlarged images of minute objects

an acoustic microscope

Examples of microscope in a Sentence

Students viewed the crystals through a microscope.

Recent Examples on the Web

Under the microscope, Golovanova and colleagues could still see the grain pattern that marked where muscle once attached to the bone, even though the original knob of bone that formed the attachment had been ground flat and smooth by the Neanderthal who made the point. —ArsTechnica, 1 May 2025

Its share price has since been under the microscope but remains sticky, opening this morning at £1.72 ($2.30) per share, way down on its opening £2.90 on December 16, which immediately slid and has barely recovered. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025

Boeing saw lower-than-expected losses and reaffirmed its full-year forecast in a surprise win for a company that’s often under the microscope. —Quartz Staff, Quartz, 24 Apr. 2025

Some players thrive under the microscope; others crack. —Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin microscopium, from micr- + -scopium -scope

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing microscope

• atomic force microscope
• compound microscope
• dark-field microscope
• dissecting microscope
• electron microscope
• phase-contrast microscope
• put under the microscope
• scanning electron microscope
• scanning tunneling microscope
• under a/the microscope

Rhymes for microscope

• antelope
• bronchoscope
• cantaloupe
• cystoscope
• endoscope
• envelope
• epitope
• gyroscope
• horoscope
• isotope
• misanthrope
• pericope

Kids Definition

microscope

noun

mi·​cro·​scope ˈmī-krə-ˌskōp 

1

: an optical instrument consisting of a lens or a combination of lenses for making enlarged or magnified images of minute objects

2

: an instrument using radiation other than light for making enlarged images of very small objects

Medical Definition

microscope

noun

mi·​cro·​scope ˈmī-krə-ˌskōp 

1

: an optical instrument consisting of a lens or combination of lenses for making enlarged images of minute objects

especially : compound microscope see light microscope, phase-contrast microscope, polarizing microscope, reflecting microscope, ultraviolet microscope

2

: an instrument using radiations other than light or using vibrations for making enlarged images of minute objects

an acoustic microscope

see electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, x-ray microscope