Synonyms

microphone

American

[mahy-kruh-fohn] / ˈmaɪ krəˌfoʊn /

noun

an instrument capable of transforming sound waves into changes in electric currents or voltage, used in recording or transmitting sound.

microphone British

/ ˈmaɪkrəˌfəʊn /

noun

Informal name: mike. a device used in sound-reproduction systems for converting sound into electrical energy, usually by means of a ribbon or diaphragm set into motion by the sound waves. The vibrations are converted into the equivalent audio-frequency electric currents See also carbon microphone Compare loudspeaker

"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

Etymology

Origin of microphone

1875–80; micro-, in sense “enlarging” (extracted from microscope ) + -phone

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.

Simulation rooms were soundproofed to an almost maddening degree, and now that I was alone, I could hear my own heartbeat like someone was holding a microphone to my chest.

From Literature

Davidson has expressed his horror at the ordeal, telling Variety that he wondered why he was seated near one of the many microphones placed throughout the venue.

From Salon

TELLURIDE, Colo.—On a snowy March evening last year, a local official stepped to the microphone to declare that this winter ski paradise was in crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal

Bafta told the BBC on Friday they looked into the microphone and had assured StudioCanal, which made I Swear, that it was not amplifying the sound in the room or the broadcast.

From BBC

Predator is sophisticated software that makes it possible to infiltrate mobile phones, access messages and photos, and even remotely activate the microphone and camera.

From Barron's

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