Illustration of micrometer
- micrometer 2
mi·crom·e·ter
mī-ˈkrä-mə-tər 
1
: an instrument used with a telescope or microscope for measuring minute distances
2
: a caliper for making precise measurements that has a spindle moved by a finely threaded screw
mi·cro·me·ter
ˈmī-krō-ˌmē-tər
: a unit of length equal to one millionth of a meter
called also micron
see Metric System TableExamples of micrometer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 2026
With each solar orbit lasting 769 days, that’s a real-time slowdown of just over 10 micrometers per second, shrinking the asteroids’ 300-million-mile orbit by 2,360 feet.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Thanks to a particle accelerator and a small cadre of dedicated scientists, the reference models are already in hand—rendered not in animation software but in micrometer-perfect anatomical form.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2026
The new technology starts as a colloidal suspension of gold nanoparticles, which self-assemble into micrometer-scale spheres in solution.
—New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for micrometer
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Noun
Those numbers indicate very efficient light transfer into standard 50-micrometer multimode optical fibers.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 2026
With each solar orbit lasting 769 days, that’s a real-time slowdown of just over 10 micrometers per second, shrinking the asteroids’ 300-million-mile orbit by 2,360 feet.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Thanks to a particle accelerator and a small cadre of dedicated scientists, the reference models are already in hand—rendered not in animation software but in micrometer-perfect anatomical form.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2026
The new technology starts as a colloidal suspension of gold nanoparticles, which self-assemble into micrometer-scale spheres in solution.
—New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for micrometer
Cite this Entry
“Micrometer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/micrometer. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
micrometer
1 of 2 noun
mi·crom·e·ter
mī-ˈkräm-ət-ər
1
: an instrument used with a telescope or microscope for measuring very small distances
micrometry
noun
-ˈkräm-ə-trē
micrometer
2 of 2 noun
mi·cro·me·ter
ˈmī-krō-ˌmēt-ər
: a unit of length equal to one millionth of a meter
Medical Definition
micrometer
1 of 2 noun
mi·crom·e·ter
mī-ˈkräm-ət-ər
: an instrument used with a telescope or microscope for measuring minute distances
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