microplastic

noun

mi·​cro·​plas·​tic ˌmī-krō-ˈpla-stik 

plural microplastics

1

: a very small piece of plastic especially when occurring as an environmental pollutant

—usually used in plural

… the microplastics that have made their way into the food chain and even the air we breathe.

—Los Angeles Times

… the Mariana Trench contains the highest levels of microplastics (most likely from clothing, bottles, packaging and fishing gear) yet found in the open ocean, offering irrefutable proof that plastics have penetrated even the most remote places on the planet.

—Rina Li

specifically : a piece of plastic that is five millimeters or smaller in size

Indeed, a handful of sand or cup of seawater from nearly anywhere in the world will probably be peppered with microplastics—pieces that are tinier than a small pea and often invisible.

—Jennifer Ackerman

2

: material consisting of microplastics

Most of that microplastic is coming not from broken down plastic soda bottles or shopping bags but textiles and clothing made of synthetic materials like polyester.

—Dharna Noor

compare nanoplastic

microplastic adjective

microplastic pollution

microplastic debris

Examples of microplastic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The hollow fiber filter physically removes bacteria and protozoa that cause diseases, as well as dirt and microplastics, and has a lifespan of 4,000 liters (1,000 gallons). — Brad Bourque, The Verge, 23 June 2026

While concerns about certain chemical compounds and microplastics present in some sunscreens may warrant some attention, ditching all sunscreen in favor of direct sun exposure would be a serious mistake. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 18 June 2026

Research also points to environmental toxins, such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals and microplastics, as potential culprits of male infertility. — Gabriela Galvin, Wired News, 18 June 2026

Those findings helped push conversations about how to avoid microplastics from niche environmental discussions into mainstream parenting spaces. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 26 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for microplastic

• anaplastic
• bioclastic
• fibroblastic
• hyperplastic
• hypoplastic
• inelastic
• lymphoblastic
• neoplastic
• orgiastic
• periphrastic
• predynastic
• pyroclastic