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Glite Dictionary
Styrofoam

Styrofoam

31 3.4
A very light white plastic foam used for cups, packing, and insulation
  • noun
  • /ˈstaɪrəˌfoʊm/
  • US
translation icon : espuma de poliestireno
  • The package was filled with Styrofoam peanuts to protect the fragile items during shipping.
  • Styrofoam cup
  • Styrofoam containers
  • piece of Styrofoam

So the center of mass of this whole Styrofoam disc has now gone up.

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Examples

  • Moishe reaches into a paper bag and retrieves a coffee in a Styrofoam cup. David

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Exhausted, he looked down into the steaming Styrofoam bowl and saw his father lean over the stove.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Think people are going to stop using Styrofoam?

    Fly Me to the Moon (2024)

  • That was actually carved out of Styrofoam.

    Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

  • We're going to take super glue and glue that Styrofoam onto the center of a cake board.

  • On a table near the door were a large coffee urn and Styrofoam cups.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Let's drink rum and Pepsi out of Styrofoam cups.

    The House of Yes (1997)

  • "Sick at heart, Johnno snatched up his Styrofoam cup of coffee and turned away."

    Fiction book (1990)

  • If you don't want breathable walls, you can just use Styrofoam or glass wall.

  • We used Styrofoam to insulate the walls of the garage for better energy efficiency.

How Tough

steel
536 1.4
aluminum
  • US
143 2.6
polycarbonate
  • Specialized
5.1
polyethylene
  • Specialized
5 6.1
Styrofoam
  • US
31 3.4

Surface Forms

Styrofoam singular
Styrofoams plural

Morphology

Styrofoam = styrene + foam (semi-transparent) = styro + foam + styro

The second element 'foam' is clear, while 'styro' is a brand-derived combining form from 'styrene', so the compound's meaning is only partially predictable for learners.

Etymology

The word Styrofoam was originally a brand name for a lightweight plastic foam made from a material called 'styrene', and you can read it as Styro- + foam. Because foam means 'bubbles' or a soft, airy material, people now use Styrofoam to mean the white foam used for insulation, packing and disposable cups.