"mic" meaning in English

See mic in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈmaɪk/ Forms: mics [plural]
Rhymes: -aɪk Etymology: Clipping of microphone. Attested since 1961. Etymology templates: {{clipping|en|microphone}} Clipping of microphone Head templates: {{en-noun}} mic (plural mics)
  1. Alternative form of mike (“microphone”). Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: mike (extra: microphone)
    Sense id: en-mic-en-noun-ImBDjqZA
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Noun

Forms: mics [plural]
Etymology: Clipping of microfarad. Etymology templates: {{clipping|en|microfarad}} Clipping of microfarad Head templates: {{en-noun}} mic (plural mics)
  1. (physics) A microfarad.
    Sense id: en-mic-en-noun-czQUZvdE Categories (other): Physics, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 10 entries, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 19 54 27 Disambiguation of Pages with 10 entries: 8 18 10 7 7 7 7 3 3 19 7 7 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 8 14 10 8 8 8 8 4 1 16 8 8 Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Verb

IPA: /ˈmaɪk/
Rhymes: -aɪk Etymology: Clipping of microphone. Attested since 1961. Etymology templates: {{clipping|en|microphone}} Clipping of microphone Head templates: {{en-verb|+!,+'}} mic (third-person singular simple present mics or mic's, present participle micing or mic'ing, simple past and past participle miced or mic'd or mic'ed) Forms: mics [present, singular, third-person], mic's [present, singular, third-person], micing [participle, present], mic'ing [participle, present], miced [participle, past], miced [past], mic'd [participle, past], mic'd [past], mic'ed [participle, past], mic'ed [past]
  1. Alternative form of mike. Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: mike Derived forms: eat the mic, mic fright, mic up
    Sense id: en-mic-en-verb-xakUg3Yc Categories (other): Pages with 10 entries Disambiguation of Pages with 10 entries: 8 18 10 7 7 7 7 3 3 19 7 7
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "microphone"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of microphone",
      "name": "clipping"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Clipping of microphone. Attested since 1961.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mics",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "mic (plural mics)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "microphone",
          "word": "mike"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              10,
              13
            ],
            [
              120,
              123
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1987, Eric B. & Rakim, I Know You Got Soul:",
          "text": "Picture a mic, the stage is empty\nA beat like this might tempt me\nTo pose, show my rings and my fat gold chain\nGrab the mic like I'm on Soul Train",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of mike (“microphone”)."
      ],
      "id": "en-mic-en-noun-ImBDjqZA",
      "links": [
        [
          "mike",
          "mike#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmaɪk/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-aɪk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mic"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "microphone"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of microphone",
      "name": "clipping"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Clipping of microphone. Attested since 1961.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mics",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic's",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "micing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic'ing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "miced",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "miced",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic'd",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic'd",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic'ed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic'ed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "+!,+'"
      },
      "expansion": "mic (third-person singular simple present mics or mic's, present participle micing or mic'ing, simple past and past participle miced or mic'd or mic'ed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "mike"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "8 18 10 7 7 7 7 3 3 19 7 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 10 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "eat the mic"
        },
        {
          "word": "mic fright"
        },
        {
          "word": "mic up"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              38,
              41
            ]
          ],
          "text": "If we add the drum kit, we'll have to mic the orchestra.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              18,
              22
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2002, Darren Brown with Jackie Bushman, Hunting Trophy Whitetails, page 167:",
          "text": "At 11:00 am, Doug mics up with me on the radio, and I advise him to go back to camp to get a quad, that we have a monster down.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              78,
              83
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2003, Sleazegrinder, Gigs from Hell: True Tales of Rock and Roll Gone Wrong, page 104:",
          "text": "Imagine playing a venue the size of an aircraft hangar without your tiny amps miced up through the PA!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              28,
              33
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2006, Sarah Davis with Dave Laing, The guerilla^([sic]) guide to the music business, page 164:",
          "text": "This lacks the gut-punch of miced-up bass but hopefully the player can rise to the challenge and give his or her take extra energy to make up for it.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              53,
              60
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2007, Trev Wilkins, Access all areas: a real world guide to gigging and touring, page 101:",
          "text": "Dynamics are used extensively for vocals, drums, and 'micing up' amplifiers such as guitar amps but they can be used for almost any application.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              74,
              80
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2009, Francis Rumsey with Tim McCormick, Sound and Recording, page 51:",
          "text": "but it is extremely useful in applications such as vocals, drums, and the micing-up of guitar amplifiers.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of mike."
      ],
      "id": "en-mic-en-verb-xakUg3Yc",
      "links": [
        [
          "mike",
          "mike#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmaɪk/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-aɪk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mic"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "microfarad"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of microfarad",
      "name": "clipping"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Clipping of microfarad.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mics",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "mic (plural mics)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Physics",
          "orig": "en:Physics",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 54 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 18 10 7 7 7 7 3 3 19 7 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 10 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 14 10 8 8 8 8 4 1 16 8 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A microfarad."
      ],
      "id": "en-mic-en-noun-czQUZvdE",
      "links": [
        [
          "physics",
          "physics"
        ],
        [
          "microfarad",
          "microfarad"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(physics) A microfarad."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "physics"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "mic"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English clippings",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English irregular verbs",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 10 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/aɪk",
    "Rhymes:English/aɪk/1 syllable"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "microphone"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of microphone",
      "name": "clipping"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Clipping of microphone. Attested since 1961.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mics",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "mic (plural mics)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "microphone",
          "word": "mike"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              10,
              13
            ],
            [
              120,
              123
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1987, Eric B. & Rakim, I Know You Got Soul:",
          "text": "Picture a mic, the stage is empty\nA beat like this might tempt me\nTo pose, show my rings and my fat gold chain\nGrab the mic like I'm on Soul Train",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of mike (“microphone”)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "mike",
          "mike#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmaɪk/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-aɪk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mic"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English clippings",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English irregular verbs",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 10 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/aɪk",
    "Rhymes:English/aɪk/1 syllable"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "eat the mic"
    },
    {
      "word": "mic fright"
    },
    {
      "word": "mic up"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "microphone"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of microphone",
      "name": "clipping"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Clipping of microphone. Attested since 1961.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mics",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic's",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "micing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic'ing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "miced",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "miced",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic'd",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic'd",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic'ed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mic'ed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "+!,+'"
      },
      "expansion": "mic (third-person singular simple present mics or mic's, present participle micing or mic'ing, simple past and past participle miced or mic'd or mic'ed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "mike"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              38,
              41
            ]
          ],
          "text": "If we add the drum kit, we'll have to mic the orchestra.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              18,
              22
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2002, Darren Brown with Jackie Bushman, Hunting Trophy Whitetails, page 167:",
          "text": "At 11:00 am, Doug mics up with me on the radio, and I advise him to go back to camp to get a quad, that we have a monster down.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              78,
              83
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2003, Sleazegrinder, Gigs from Hell: True Tales of Rock and Roll Gone Wrong, page 104:",
          "text": "Imagine playing a venue the size of an aircraft hangar without your tiny amps miced up through the PA!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              28,
              33
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2006, Sarah Davis with Dave Laing, The guerilla^([sic]) guide to the music business, page 164:",
          "text": "This lacks the gut-punch of miced-up bass but hopefully the player can rise to the challenge and give his or her take extra energy to make up for it.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              53,
              60
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2007, Trev Wilkins, Access all areas: a real world guide to gigging and touring, page 101:",
          "text": "Dynamics are used extensively for vocals, drums, and 'micing up' amplifiers such as guitar amps but they can be used for almost any application.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              74,
              80
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2009, Francis Rumsey with Tim McCormick, Sound and Recording, page 51:",
          "text": "but it is extremely useful in applications such as vocals, drums, and the micing-up of guitar amplifiers.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of mike."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "mike",
          "mike#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmaɪk/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-aɪk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mic"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English clippings",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English irregular verbs",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "Pages with 10 entries",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "microfarad"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of microfarad",
      "name": "clipping"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Clipping of microfarad.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mics",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "mic (plural mics)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Physics"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A microfarad."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "physics",
          "physics"
        ],
        [
          "microfarad",
          "microfarad"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(physics) A microfarad."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "physics"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "mic"
}

Download raw JSONL data for mic meaning in English (5.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-12-23 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-12-02 using wiktextract (6fdc867 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.