Meaning & use
microplastic
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A very small piece of plastic, usually less than five millimeters wide, that pollutes water, soil, or air.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a microplastic or microplastics. Often used in the plural to talk about the pollution in general.
Patterns
- microplastics in something
- a microplastic particle
- microplastic pollution
Scientists found microplastics in the snow on remote mountains.
Fish often mistake microplastics for food.
The study measured how many microplastic pieces were in each liter of water.
noununcountable
The material made of these tiny plastic pieces, considered as a type of pollution.
Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the substance in general: microplastic is a growing problem. Don't say a microplastic in this sense.
Patterns
- microplastic pollution
- microplastic in the ocean
- levels of microplastic
Microplastic has been found in drinking water around the world.
The team is studying the effects of microplastic on sea life.
Governments are trying to reduce microplastic in rivers.
Word forms
| plural | microplastics |
|---|
Common combinations
- microplastic pollution
- Microplastic pollution is a serious threat to marine ecosystems.
- microplastic particles
- The filter caught most microplastic particles before they entered the lake.
- microplastics in the ocean
- Researchers are tracking microplastics in the ocean.
- ingest microplastics
- Many animals accidentally ingest microplastics while feeding.
- microplastic contamination
- The lab tests for microplastic contamination in bottled water.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nanoplastic
- Nanoplastics are even smaller than microplastics, typically under one micrometer, so the term is more specific.
- plastic particle
- A general term for any small piece of plastic; microplastic is the precise scientific term for pieces under five millimeters.
Word family
- microplastic adjective
- Used before a noun, as in microplastic fibers.
- microplastics noun
- The plural form, often used to refer to the pollution collectively.
Commonly confused: microplastic or microprocessor?
microplastic vs microprocessor
A microprocessor is a computer chip, while microplastic is a tiny piece of plastic pollution. They sound similar but are completely different.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'microplastic' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Microplastics are tiny plastic fragments, so they are indeed too small to see easily. Option A confuses microplastic with microprocessor, a computer chip. Option C also confuses the two. Option D makes no sense because plastic is not food.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “microplastic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.