microscope

microscope — noun

1. A microscope is a scientific instrument with glass lenses that makes extremely t

1.nounB1
Definition

A microscope is a scientific instrument with glass lenses that makes extremely tiny things appear much larger, so that people can study them closely.

Example

Talia used a microscope to study the tiny cells in a plant leaf.

use + to-infinitive showing purpose

Under a strong microscope, the dust from a desk looks like big round rocks.

under + [article] + [adjective] + microscope

Common collocations
  • under a/the microscope
  • through a/the microscope
  • look at something under a microscope
  • examine something under a microscope
  • adjust the focus of a microscope
  • clean the lens of a microscope
  • place a slide under a microscope
Synonyms
  • magnifying glass

    a simpler, handheld device with one lens; much weaker than a microscope

  • hand lens

    a small magnifying tool used in fieldwork; less powerful than a lab microscope

  • electron microscope

    a far more powerful instrument that uses electrons instead of light rays (C1–C2 vocabulary)

Grammar Patterns

under + [article] + microscope

through + [article] + microscope

use + a/the + microscope + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Countable noun. Frequently appears in phrases beginning with 'under' (position of the object being examined) or 'through' (the act of looking).

Common Mistakes

I saw bacteria under microscope.
I saw bacteria under a microscope.
'microscope' is a countable noun and needs an article (a / the / my / her etc.).
The telescope can show you the cells in your blood.
The microscope can show you the cells in your blood.
a telescope makes distant objects (stars, birds) appear closer; a microscope makes tiny nearby objects appear larger.
Idioms

under the microscope

idiom

If a person, group, event, or situation is put under the microscope, every detail is examined very carefully, usually by the public, the media, or an official body.

After the accident, the company's safety rules were put under the microscope by reporters.

The politician's past spending came under the microscope during the election campaign.

Word family

  • microscopic
    adjectiveB2
  • microscopically
    adverbC1
  • microscopy
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A microscope makes tiny objects look larger by passing light through multiple glass lenses inside a tube. A magnifying glass does this with just one curved lens held close to the eye — it is much weaker (2–10× magnification) but easy to carry outdoors. A hand lens is a small, foldable magnifying tool that geologists and botanists carry in the field; it is a portable version of a magnifying glass. A telescope also uses lenses, but it makes distant objects (stars, birds, mountains) appear closer and larger, not tiny nearby objects. If you want to see the veins on a leaf, a magnifying glass is enough; to see a leaf's individual cells, you need a microscope; to see the moons of Jupiter, you need a telescope.

magnifying glasshand lenstelescope ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekNew LatinEnglish

Coined in the mid-1600s from Greek mikros 'small' and skopein 'to look at or examine'. The word was created as New Latin microscopium to name the newly invented instrument, then borrowed into English as microscope.