microphone

microphone — noun

1. A tool that picks up sounds from a voice, musical instrument, or other source, a

1.nounB1
Definition

A tool that picks up sounds from a voice, musical instrument, or other source, and turns them into electrical signals so that the sounds can be broadcast through speakers or saved as recordings.

Example

The singer held the microphone close to her mouth and began the song.

collocation: hold + microphone close to + body part

At the conference, Eli adjusted the microphone before starting his speech.

collocation: adjust + microphone

Common collocations
  • hold a microphone
  • speak into a microphone
  • adjust the microphone
  • clip a microphone onto something
  • microphone stand
  • microphone button
  • built-in microphone
  • wireless microphone
Synonyms
  • mic

    informal abbreviation, very common in spoken English and music contexts

  • mike

    informal spelling variant of 'mic'; less common in modern writing

Usage Note

In informal speech and writing, microphone is often shortened to 'mic' (pronounced like 'mike', /maɪk/). You may also see the spelling 'mike' used informally.

Common Mistakes

Can you speak into the speaker?
Can you speak into the microphone?
A 'speaker' turns electrical signals into sound; a 'microphone' turns sound into electrical signals.

Word family

  • mic
    nounB1
  • mike
    nounB2
  • microphonic
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Microphone, speaker, and megaphone are all audio devices, but they serve opposite or different purposes. A microphone captures sound (voice, music) and converts it into an electrical signal. A speaker (or loudspeaker) does the reverse — it takes an electrical signal and produces sound waves, so it is what you listen to, not what you speak into. A megaphone is a purely mechanical cone-shaped device that amplifies a voice without electricity; it simply funnels sound waves to make them louder in one direction. For example: “The singer spoke into the microphone, and her voice came out through the speakers.” “The coach used a megaphone to shout instructions across the field.”

microphone ↗speaker ↗megaphone

Common collocations

Nouns

  • microphone stand
  • microphone button
  • microphone input
  • microphone cable

Phrases

  • in front of the microphone
  • on the microphone

Prepositions

  • into a microphone
  • through a microphone

Etymology

GreekEnglish

The word microphone was created in the 1600s from two Greek roots: 'mikros' meaning 'small' and 'phōnē' meaning 'sound' or 'voice'. It was originally used for a hearing aid — a device that made small sounds louder for people with hearing loss — before taking on its modern meaning in the era of electronic sound recording.