in the microwave
26
1.0
- idiom
:
en el microondas
- So just heat that up in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- put in the microwave
- heat in the microwave
- in the microwave oven
And then and left it in the microwave, never ate it.
- And then and left it in the microwave, never ate it.
- I think maybe I put this in the microwave and just, you know, like skip a couple steps.
- Take the package, cut it open it, place it in the microwave.
- I did put an egg in the microwave to try and boil it in front of my kids.
- Pour the candy into a zip lock bag first, put it in the microwave and then just snip little tip.
- This is bacon that can just go in the microwave, which is good because that's all that I want to do to it.
Examples
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Her mother was back, carrying two mugs of water she'd heated up in the microwave.
Fiction book (2002) -
You pop this in the microwave and presto!
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Can we put it in the microwave?
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It's too big to put in the microwave.
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Just stick it in the microwave for a minute on "high" or you could have it cold.
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Come on down, I'll stick it in the microwave.
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I'll put it in the microwave.
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You got something cooking in the microwave?
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I left you plenty of frozen food you could have heated in the microwave.
Fiction book (1993) -
You can easily heat leftovers in the microwave for a quick meal.
Synonyms
22
2.1
To heat or cook food in a small electric oven that uses radio waves
8
5.8
To heat food quickly in a microwave oven
3
4.1
To heat food quickly in a microwave
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'using a microwave to heat or cook' is directly and transparently derived from the constituents: 'in' (location/inside) + 'the' (definite article) + 'microwave' (the appliance). This locative/compositional pattern is common across languages and everyday contexts, so a B1 learner who knows the words will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
In the microwave comes from the kitchen oven called a microwave, a small box that uses invisible waves to heat food very quickly, so putting food in the microwave means it is being 'heated' or 'cooked' inside that oven.