macro

adjective mac·ro \ ˈma-(ˌ)krō \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of macro

1 :being large, thick, or exceptionally prominent

2 a :of, involving, or intended for use with relatively large quantities or on a large scale

b :of or relating to macroeconomics

3 :gross 2b

4 :of or relating to a macro lens or to close-up photography

Recent Examples of macro from the Web

The macro-nutrient numbers are pretty similar to Halo Top's.

— Health.com, "Is Ice Cream Healthy? A Nutritionist’s Take on Halo Top and Other ‘Healthier’ Brands," 24 Aug. 2017
Using a portable tool called Elio developed by XGLab, Del Federico and her team were able to scan the painting with macro X-ray fluorescence.

— sarah gibbens, National Geographic, "Captivating New Look at Ancient Painting Buried by Volcano," 23 Aug. 2017
Researchers recently used a portable macro X-ray fluorescence instrument called ELIO to peel back the layers of dirt and ash on a painting of a young woman in Herculaneum’s House of the Mosaic Atrium.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "X-Rays Reveal Details of Portrait Once Hidden Under Vesuvius’ Ash," 23 Aug. 2017
There's also the option to customize keyboard lighting and macro keys in the Omen Command Center in order to accompany the Omen X laptop's fully mechanical keyboard.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "HP stuffed the best gaming desktop perks into the 10-pound Omen X laptop," 22 Aug. 2017
All 4,424 posts — and counting — by @eyexam feature macro shots of eyes.

— devon abelman, Allure, "The Weird World of Extreme Eye Accounts on Instagram," 16 Aug. 2017
The restaurant’s beer list consists of your usual macro-brews such as Bud Light, Yuengling, and Blue Moon.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Planet Hollywood Observatory: Over-the-top dishes in out-of-this-world setting," 4 Aug. 2017
But the key for the entrepreneur is to truly understand the one or two significant decisions or macro events that set the course of the company.

— neil senturia, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Mel Brooks, The Producers and entrepreneurs," 31 July 2017
DRINKS Craft beer is a focus with two dozen drafts featuring locals large and small (Victory, Highway Manor, Sterling Pig, 2SP), plus national and international, and some macro options (Bell's, Chimay, Avery).

— craig laban, Philly.com, "VERY GOOD," 16 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'macro.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of macro

macr-

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1923

See Words from the same year

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

macro

noun

Definition of macro

plural macros

:a single computer instruction that stands for a sequence of operations

See macro defined for English-language learners

See macro defined for kids

Recent Examples of macro from the Web

Jurrien Timmer, director of global macro at Fidelity Investments, discusses the outlook for emerging markets and his subsequent thoughts on investing.

— Bloomberg.com, "Fidelity's Timmer Bullish on EM Amid Brazil Scandal," 18 May 2017
Once executed, the macros drop an obfuscated JavaScript file with a .JS or .JSE extension that is executed natively on Windows through the Windows Script Host (WScript.exe).

— lucian constantin, PCWorld, "Cyberspies tap free tools to make powerful malware framework," 5 May 2017
An exquisite macro shot bursting with pollen wins our monthly theme of ‘

— katie g. cotterill, The Seattle Times, "Reader’s Lens | ‘Flower Power’ contest winner," 26 Apr. 2017
Entries using macro, robotic, script or other forms of automatic entry will be disqualified.

— Town & Country, "Longines WOMEN WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE program," 14 Mar. 2013

Origin and Etymology of macro

short for macroinstruction

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1959

See Words from the same year

Other Computer-Related Terms

adware, flash, kludge, phishing, recursive, router

MACRO Defined for English Language Learners

macro

noun

Definition of macro for English Language Learners

computers : a set of instructions that causes a computer to perform a series of tasks

Medical Dictionary

macro

adjective mac·ro \ ˈmak-(ˌ)rō \

medical Definition of macro

1 :large, thick, or excessively developed

macro layer of the cerebral cortex

2 a :of or involving large quantities :intended for use with large quantities

a macro procedure in analysis

carrying out a test on a macro scale

b :gross 1b

the macro appearance of a specimen

Learn More about macro

Nglish: Translation of macro for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up macro? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

macro

Definition of macro

Explore Merriam-Webster

Recent Examples of macro from the Web

Origin and Etymology of macro

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

macro

Definition of macro

Recent Examples of macro from the Web

Origin and Etymology of macro

Other Computer-Related Terms

MACRO Defined for English Language Learners

macro

Definition of macro for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

macro

medical Definition of macro

Learn More about macro

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

8 Words for Trickery and Deception

'Dis': From Early Rap to Academic Journals

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

Words of the Year: 1066