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Synonyms

microchip

American  
[mahy-kroh-chip] / ˈmaɪ kroʊˌtʃɪp /

noun

Electronics.

  1. chip.

microchip British  
/ ˈmaɪkrəʊˌtʃɪp /

noun

  1. a small piece of semiconductor material carrying many integrated circuits

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to implant (an animal) with a microchip tag linked to a national computer network for purposes of identification

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
microchip Scientific  
/ mī′krə-chĭp′ /

  1. See integrated circuit

microchip Cultural  

  1. The basic component of modern miniaturized electronics. The “chip” is a series of electrical circuits built into a tiny wafer of silicon or another semiconductor.

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These circuits may be made by exposing the chip to a high-temperature vapor of controlled composition. The vapor deposits a thin layer (sometimes only a few atoms thick) on the silicon. In this way complex layers of materials, such as those found in transistors can be built up in a very small area.

Etymology

Origin of microchip

First recorded in 1965–70; micro- + chip 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We are now one generation of technological alchemy away from the smallest possible silicon microchips.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sometime in the next 15 years, the same technology that produced the world’s first photograph will allow us to make the most powerful, densely packed silicon microchips allowed by physics.

From The Wall Street Journal

Jurors heard Lithuania national Skebas had a history of mental health issues and told police after his arrest he was being controlled by a microchip.

From BBC

The deal is a coup for AMD in its effort to challenge Nvidia in the market for selling the microchips powering the AI boom.

From The Wall Street Journal

Flexing its muscle at times of tension, Beijing has restricted exports of critical minerals used in products from microchips and wind turbines to electric car batteries and weapons systems.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.