microscope

noun

mi·​cro·​scope ˈmī-krə-ˌskōp How to pronounce microscope (audio)
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 Documentary Currently Under Litigation More recently, Williams' life has been under a microscope after Lifetime's two-part docuseries, Where Is Wendy Williams? aired last weekend, portraying her troubled life and health issues following the end of her eponymous talk show. Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 But key elements of The Times’ reporting in telling that larger story have since fallen under the microscope. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 Politics in brief Trump world rift: Right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk was key to the successful effort to oust RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, but his own conduct is now under the microscope from some Trump allies. Josh Feldman, NBC News, 18 Feb. 2024 In one experiment, her team used a reporter gene — coding for proteins that would glow under a microscope if successfully expressed. Megan Molteni, STAT, 21 Feb. 2024 But the full reach of its possibilities has been put under the microscope thanks to Amazon’s continued commitment to going it alone. Eran Mizrahi, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 The eleven-hundred-square-foot space, situated on a high floor of a building in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, is equipped with an induction burner, a microscope, and a big sink, plus bouquets of lemon verbena and whole persimmons hanging from the ceiling to dry. Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 Woodward sliced the middle of the bones and examined them through a microscope. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2024 The allegations come as Harvard University’s research is held under a microscope. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'microscope.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of microscope was in 1648

Dictionary Entries Near microscope

Cite this Entry

“Microscope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microscope. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

microscope

noun
mi·​cro·​scope ˈmī-krə-ˌskōp How to pronounce microscope (audio)
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 How to pronounce microscope (audio)
1
: an optical instrument consisting of a lens or combination of lenses for making enlarged images of minute objects
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

More from Merriam-Webster on microscope

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