micron

American  

[mahy-kron] / ˈmaɪ krɒn /

Or mikron

noun

• microns,
  plural
• micra
  plural

1. Also called micrometer. the millionth part of a meter. μ, mu

2. Physical Chemistry. a colloidal particle whose diameter is between 0.2 and 10 microns.

3. Physics. a very small unit of pressure, equal to that exerted by a column of mercury 1μ high.

---

micron British  

/ ˈmaɪkrɒn /

noun

1. a unit of length equal to 10 ^–6 metre. It is being replaced by the micrometre, the equivalent SI unit

---

micron Scientific  

/ mī′krŏn′ /

1. See micrometer

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• micra
  plural
• microns
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of micron

1880–85; < Greek mīkrón a little, noun use of neuter singular of mīkrós small; see -on ¹

---

Compare meaning

How does micron compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• micron vs. nanometer

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

micron micra microns

Nanoplastics are generally considered anything less than one micron.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

"Small changes in the properties of soft materials over micron distances are finally possible, which will open up all sorts of possibilities," Melosh said.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 31, 2026

These are particles that are less than a micron in size.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2024

Transphorm uses ultra thin layers of gallium nitride that are a micron, or one thousandth of a millimetre thick, on its semiconductors.

From Reuters ● Jul. 11, 2023

To get down to the scale of atoms, you would need to take each one of those micron slices and shave it into ten thousand finer widths.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

The Brookesia micra is the tiniest of four chameleons found this year in Madagascar.

From Slate ● Dec. 26, 2012

In addition to the discovery of Brookesia micra, now the tiniest chameleon ever discovered, the researchers also announced the discovery of three additional tiny chameleon species.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 16, 2012

Starbucks poked fun at itself by unveiling new "micra" and "plenta" sizes, one absurdly small, the other as big as a bucket.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2010

Read off the number of divisions it occupies and express them as micra.

From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by J. W. H. (John William Henry) Eyre

The wavelength, or the distance between repeating peaks of the wave, is very long, measuring hundreds of microns.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 17, 2026

While cysts are microscopic, they are relatively large compared to other intracellular pathogens, reaching up to 80 microns across.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 27, 2026

David A Lindon, from Bournemouth, Dorset, says his latest sculpture, The Yellow Smiley Face, is "invisible to the human eye", with measurements of only 11.037 by 12.330 microns.

From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025

The dust's fine grains, just one or two microns in size, makes it easy to inhale and difficult to remove.

From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2025

But the carbon fibers, usually 500 microns apart, now had a gap eight times that width in their midst.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---