microprocessor

IPA/ˌmaɪkrəʊˈprəʊsesə(r)/
KK[mˌaɪkroprˈɑsɛsɚ]IPA/ˌmaɪkrəʊˈprɑːsesər/

microprocessor — noun

  • microprocessorsingular
  • microprocessorsplural

1. a small electronic chip inside a computer or machine that reads instructions and

1.nounC1
Definition

a small electronic chip inside a computer or machine that reads instructions and runs the device's main tasks.

Example

The washing machine stopped when its microprocessor overheated during the long cycle.

microprocessor + overheated / failed inside a device

Nikhil replaced the damaged microprocessor before the lab robot could move again.

Common collocations
  • microprocessor chip
  • microprocessor design
  • microprocessor architecture
  • microprocessor control
  • embedded microprocessor
  • replace a microprocessor
Synonyms
  • processor

    broader everyday term that may not stress the single-chip design

  • CPU

    common name for the central processing unit in a computer system

  • chip

    broader term that can also mean memory chips or other electronic parts

Grammar Patterns

adjective + microprocessor

microprocessor + verb (controls / runs / manages)

microprocessor + in + device

Usage Note

Most often used in technical contexts for a processor built onto a single chip. In everyday product talk, people often say processor or CPU instead unless the exact hardware type matters.

Common Mistakes

I upgraded my computer by buying a bigger keyboard and a new microprocessor.
I upgraded my computer by installing a faster microprocessor.
A microprocessor is an internal chip, not an external accessory.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Microprocessor is the most exact term when you mean a processor built onto one integrated circuit. In everyday speech, many people simply say processor, especially when talking about laptops, phones, or game consoles. CPU is narrower: it usually refers to the central processor that carries out the main instructions of a system. Chip is the broadest and least exact word, because a chip might be memory, a sensor, or another electronic part, not a processor at all. If the single-chip design matters, choose microprocessor; if you just mean the main computing part of a computer, processor or CPU is usually more natural.

microprocessor ↗processor ↗CPU ↗chip ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • microprocessor design
  • microprocessor manufacturer
  • microprocessor speed
  • microprocessor upgrade

Phrases

  • install a microprocessor
  • program the microprocessor
  • microprocessor-based system

Prepositions

  • microprocessor in
  • microprocessor for

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

The word combines micro-, from Greek mikros meaning 'small', with processor, from process. It became common in the 1970s when engineers began putting the work of a computer's central processor onto a single integrated-circuit chip. That shift made computers smaller, cheaper, and easier to build into everyday machines.