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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is akin to the driving instructor who unplugs the GPS, the biology teacher who rejects the microscope, the accounting professor who bans calculators or digital spreadsheets, and the musicologist who forbids digital audio software. Ann Kirschner, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025 The rookies are growing together and under a microscope. Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 13 Aug. 2025 This comparison of two places within a few minutes’ walk of each other puts the urban heat island effect under a microscope. Dan O'Brien, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2025 Your personal identity and desires are under a microscope, Aries. Valerie Mesa, People.com, 9 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for microscope

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

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Cite this Entry

“Microscope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microscope. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

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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