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

The presence of microplastics in our food, soil, and bodies has quickly become a global-level crisis. —Kevin Anderton, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025

Due to the ubiquity of microplastics, all people are at risk, Chartres stressed. —Brian Mastroianni, Health, 7 Jan. 2025

Even foods labeled organic are not necessarily free of microplastics. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025

Research on cells and animals has demonstrated that microplastics can impact the digestive, respiratory, endocrine, reproductive and immune systems. —Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined at sense 1