microplastic

noun

mi·​cro·​plas·​tic ˌmī-krō-ˈpla-stik 

plural microplastics

1

: a very small piece of plastic especially when occurring as an environmental pollutant

—usually used in plural

… the microplastics that have made their way into the food chain and even the air we breathe.

—Los Angeles Times

… the Mariana Trench contains the highest levels of microplastics (most likely from clothing, bottles, packaging and fishing gear) yet found in the open ocean, offering irrefutable proof that plastics have penetrated even the most remote places on the planet.

—Rina Li

specifically : a piece of plastic that is five millimeters or smaller in size

Indeed, a handful of sand or cup of seawater from nearly anywhere in the world will probably be peppered with microplastics—pieces that are tinier than a small pea and often invisible.

—Jennifer Ackerman

2

: material consisting of microplastics

Most of that microplastic is coming not from broken down plastic soda bottles or shopping bags but textiles and clothing made of synthetic materials like polyester.

—Dharna Noor

compare nanoplastic

microplastic adjective

microplastic pollution

microplastic debris

Examples of microplastic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Minuscule plastic pieces known as microplastics have become omnipresent in the environment. —Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024

Paradise Textiles, the material science arm of global end-to-end textile company Alpine Group, has teamed with microplastics technology innovator Matter on the project. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 30 Sep. 2024

LifeStraw Home Water Filter Pitcher This filter removes bacteria, microplastics and parasites in addition to common chemicals and pesticides. —Bestreviews, Sun Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2024

Image Scientists have also sounded the alarm on microplastics in the environment and in the human body, as well as the thousands of chemicals in plastic that can leach into food, water and the environment. —Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined at sense 1