micro

adjective mi·cro \ ˈmī-(ˌ)krō \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Definition of micro

1 : very small; especially : microscopic

2 : involving minute quantities or variations

Recent Examples of micro from the Web

Inside, a micro-branch of Costa Coffee serves up hot drinks and pastries.

— georgina voss, The Atlantic, "Brexit Could Cripple Britain’s Ports," 20 June 2018
In theory, this allows developers to create multiple revenue streams for a single game, either via micro-transitions, subscriptions or world-building expansion packs.

— todd martens, latimes.com, "Surviving as a single-player in video game's multiplayer world," 20 June 2018
The jig and float method with either a sculpin or ginger micro jig, on 2-pound tippet is catching good numbers of rainbows.

— tyler mahoney special to the star, kansascity, "Fishing report: Prospects mixed on area lakes for week of June 20," 20 June 2018
The second, seven-inch tablet can either be docked in the back of the big tablet, or sit elsewhere on the counter, attached by micro-USB.

— lauren goode, WIRED, "How Square Made Its Own iPad Replacement," 18 June 2018
Both on a macro and micro level, the writing in Destiny 2 is often half-baked, bordering on nonsensical.

— hayden dingman, PCWorld, "Anthem plays even smoother than Destiny, but BioWare's story will make or break it," 15 June 2018
Among them are Jacob Cutino’s hot sauces, Jason Raducha’s Noble breads and David Anderson’s micro-roasted coffee.

— gwen ashley walters, azcentral, "10 summer deals at Phoenix restaurants, casual to upscale dining," 15 June 2018
Both on a macro and micro level, Onrush includes a number of puzzling design decisions and execution bobbles.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Onrush game review: Sexy arcade racing in serious need of a tune-up," 5 June 2018
Current projects include Lake Mary’s Griffin Farms at Midtown as well as adding more than 300 apartments, including some micro-units, to the Creative Village project on the west side of downtown Orlando.

— mary shanklin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "O-Town West plans by Chuck Whittall's Unicorp include boardwalk, lagoon, shops, homes," 1 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of micro

micr-

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1923

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

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

micro

noun

Definition of micro

plural micros

1 : microcomputer

2 : microprocessor

Recent Examples of micro from the Web

According to the Guardian, Cambridge Analytica gave a briefing to Lukoil, which is no on the U.S. sanctions list, saw a presentation from the firm in 2014 where Cambridge Analytica discussed micro-targeting on social media during elections.

— emily tillett, CBS News, "Christopher Wylie: Bannon wanted "weapons" to fight a "culture war" at Cambridge Analytica," 16 May 2018
Hategan added that Elliott has helped him become a better pro player in the macro sense of being in the right place at the right time during a game, but also in the micro with advice on punctuality, for instance.

— mark billingsley, sacbee, "'It's a serious business': No-nonsense coach leads Republic FC to hottest start ever | The Sacramento Bee," 11 May 2018
What can't be bought or grown in the macro might be rescued by the micro.

— birmingham botanical gardens, AL.com, "'John Bartram Lives' performance part of Annual Member Celebration at Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens," 26 Apr. 2018
For the sake of simplicity, let’s just say that sweeping slightly increases the temperature of the ice while creating micro-scratches on the surface.

— scott cacciola, New York Times, "What Is Curling? Where Ice, Granite and Brooms Meet," 8 Feb. 2018
The immediate response by Christopher was on the micro-to-medium level, though.

— patrick brennan, Cincinnati.com, "The fallout and response to Chris Mack's departure from Xavier basketball for Louisville," 27 Mar. 2018
Toscanini’s little tastes (called micros), are smaller than small, a scant espresso cup that amounts to little more than a half-dozen spoonfuls.

— sheryl julian, BostonGlobe.com, "Toscanini’s ice cream is scooping at a new Kendall Square location while Central is renovated," 19 Mar. 2018
Princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz blossomed in twinkling micro buds, and Amy Fine Collins got a jump start on summer style in Thom Browne’s slick spin on seersucker.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Wendi Murdoch Toasts Met Gala Monday With an Angelic Soiree," 6 May 2018
There's micro-meteorites and temperature extremes and different kinds of radiation.

— grant segall, cleveland.com, "Kim de Groh of NASA Glenn designs experiments for space: My Cleveland (photos)," 3 May 2018

First Known Use of micro

1971

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Computer-Related Terms

adware, flash, kludge, phishing, recursive, router

Medical Dictionary

micro

adjective mi·cro \ ˈmī-(ˌ)krō \

medical Definition of micro

1 : very small; especially : microscopic

2 involving minute quantities or variations

Learn More about micro

Spanish Central: Translation of micro Britannica English: Translation of micro for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

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

show

micro

Definition of micro

Recent Examples of micro from the Web

Origin and Etymology of micro

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

micro

Definition of micro

Recent Examples of micro from the Web

First Known Use of micro

Other Computer-Related Terms

Medical Dictionary

micro

medical Definition of micro

Learn More about micro

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

skirl

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

What It Means to Go ‘Radio Silent’

The Last Word on 'Finalize'

'Creep': A Skin-Crawling History

Centuries and How to Refer to Them

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Name More Food!

Name That Thing

Word Winder's CrossWinder

What It Means to Go ‘Radio Silent’

Words for Summer: A Quiz

If the Shoe Fits

Trending: 'Asylum' Trends as Policies Draw Attention

Ghost Word

micro

Definition of micro

Recent Examples of micro from the Web

Origin and Etymology of micro

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

micro

Definition of micro

Recent Examples of micro from the Web

First Known Use of micro

Other Computer-Related Terms

Medical Dictionary

micro

medical Definition of micro

Learn More about micro

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

What It Means to Go ‘Radio Silent’

Words for Summer: A Quiz

If the Shoe Fits

Trending: 'Asylum' Trends as Policies Draw Attention

Ghost Word