A pipette is a precise measuring tool used in laboratories to transfer small, exact amounts of liquid from one container to another. Scientists use pipettes when they need to measure liquids far more accurately than a measuring cup or spoon could manage, often working with volumes as tiny as a single drop or even less.

Most pipettes look like thin glass or plastic tubes. Some work by squeezing a rubber bulb at the top to draw liquid up into the tube, then releasing it drop by drop. Modern electronic pipettes have a button you press, making them faster and more precise. A scientist might use a pipette to add exactly three drops of food coloring to a solution, or to measure out tiny amounts of medicine for an experiment.

Pipettes matter because many scientific experiments fail if the measurements are even slightly wrong. A chemist mixing solutions or a biologist studying cells needs to know they’re using exactly the right amount every time, not approximately the right amount. That precision turns guessing into science.