microswitch

American

[mahy-kruh-swich] / ˈmaɪ krəˌswɪtʃ /

noun

a highly sensitive switch used in automatic-control devices.

microswitch British

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊˌswɪtʃ /

noun

electrical engineering a switch that operates by small movements of a lever

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of microswitch

First recorded in 1955–60; micro- + switch

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And now that I know how to swap out a microswitch, why not disassemble my mouse and replace the switch with those silent ones I impulse-ordered from AliExpress?

From The Verge • Mar. 9, 2022

The ball is attached to a microswitch, which emits a beep.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 16, 2021

The wireless peripheral also comes with a 16,000 DPI sensor and a 70-million-click microswitch.

From The Verge • Sep. 9, 2021

It is now the world's largest and most sophisticated manufacturer of automatic control systems, turning out 13,000 products so diverse that they encompass a 600 microswitch and a $3,000,000 electronic data processing system.

From Time Magazine Archive

Reason: the apparent failure, possibly due to weak batteries, of a microswitch on the door of the canister housing the satellite.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023