Meaning & use
microscope
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Meanings
nouncountable
An instrument with lenses that makes very small things, such as cells or tiny organisms, look large enough to study.
Grammar: Countable; usually 'under a microscope' or 'through a microscope'.
Patterns
- under a microscope
- look through a microscope
She looked at a drop of pond water through the microscope.
The students placed the slide under the microscope.
A powerful electron microscope can show individual viruses.
nounsingularfigurative
A situation of very close inspection, in which every detail of someone or something is judged.
Grammar: Used figuratively in the phrase 'under the microscope'.
Patterns
- under the microscope
- put something under the microscope
The mayor's spending has been under the microscope for weeks.
Every decision by the new coach is under the microscope.
The bank's accounts were put under the microscope by auditors.
Word forms
| plural | microscopes |
|---|
Common combinations
- under the microscope
- The scientist put the sample under the microscope.
- electron microscope
- An electron microscope magnifies far more than a light one.
- light microscope
- Most school labs use a light microscope.
- view through a microscope
- The view through the microscope was full of moving specks.
- microscope slide
- Place a microscope slide on the stage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- magnifier
- A magnifier is a simple single lens, whereas a microscope uses several lenses for much greater enlargement.
- magnifying glass
- A magnifying glass is held in the hand and gives weaker enlargement than a microscope.
- scrutiny
- Scrutiny is the abstract word for close examination, and 'under the microscope' is its more vivid figurative form.
Opposites
Word family
- microscopic adjective
- too small to see without a microscope
- microscopy noun
- the use of microscopes in science
- microscopist noun
- a person who uses a microscope professionally
- microscopically adverb
- on a very tiny scale
Commonly confused: microscope or telescope?
microscope vs telescope
A telescope shows distant things such as stars, while a microscope shows tiny things close by.
Practice
A journalist says the senator's finances are 'under the microscope'. What does this mean?
Choose one answer.
Under the microscope is a figure of speech for close examination. It does not mean the finances are literally tiny or hidden.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “microscope”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.