noun
microphone
MY-kruh-fohn/ˈmaɪkrəfəʊn/
A device that converts sound into electrical signals.
The microphone converts sound into an electrical signal.
Etymology
The “small sound” image originally named an ear trumpet intended to make faint sounds louder. The name later applied to an amplifying telephone transmitter, leading to the modern device that converts sound into an electrical signal.
In context
There's a tiny bit of sound in the background, that's the microphone picks up and that sound is brought to the speaker.
More examples
- The microphone picked up a faint background noise.
- He adjusted the microphone before the interview.
- Two microphones recorded the conversation.
Forms
microphone · microphones
Similar words
- pickup
- A device detecting vibrations, often directly from an instrument.
- transducer
- The broader device converting one form of energy to another.