Meaning & use
microgram
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Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
A unit of mass equal to one millionth of a gram.
Grammar: Countable; often used with numbers, e.g. '50 micrograms'.
Patterns
- X micrograms of something
- measured in micrograms
- micrograms per liter
The label says the tablet contains 25 micrograms of the active ingredient.
Vitamin D levels are often measured in micrograms per liter of blood.
Even a few micrograms of this substance can be harmful.
Word forms
| plural | micrograms |
|---|
Common combinations
- micrograms per cubic meter
- Air pollution is measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
- a microgram of
- The test can detect a single microgram of the drug.
- microgram dose
- The doctor prescribed a microgram dose of the hormone.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: microgram or milligram? microgram or micrometer?
microgram vs milligram
A milligram is one thousandth of a gram, while a microgram is one millionth, so a microgram is 1000 times smaller.
microgram vs micrometer
A micrometer measures length, not mass; it is one millionth of a meter.
Practice
How many micrograms are in one gram?
Choose one answer.
A microgram is one millionth of a gram, so there are 1,000,000 micrograms in a gram. Option 0 (1,000) is the number of milligrams in a gram, not micrograms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “microgram”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.