noun
styrofoam
STEYE-ruh-fohm
Styrofoam (noun) means a lightweight rigid foam plastic used for insulation, packaging, and disposable cups. Example: “The coffee came in a Styrofoam cup.”
noun
1
A lightweight rigid foam plastic used for insulation, packaging, and disposable cups.
"A while ago I read your column concerning the effects of hot tea on styrofoam cups."
— Cecil Adams, The Straight Dope (1988)
"In the past two years, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has located nearly 3,000 exoplanet candidates ranging from sub-Earth-sized minions to gas giants that dwarf our own Jupiter. Their densities range from that of styrofoam to iron."
— , Why Does Nature Form Exoplanets Easily (2013)
"The coffee came in a Styrofoam cup."
"They packed the fragile vase in Styrofoam for shipping."
"Expanded polystyrene foam—commonly, although incorrectly, called Styrofoam—has been the subject of a protracted battle between New York City officials and large industry players, particularly Dart."
— Gerald Porter Jr, Industry-Backed Group Keeps Fighting Foam Ban (2018)
How to use styrofoam
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe white foam material used in cups, coolers, and packaging.
Common mistake
Technically a trademark, but almost universally used as a generic term for expanded polystyrene foam.
Common pairings
Styrofoam cup
Styrofoam packaging
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Word forms
- Plural
- styrofoams
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The coffee came in a _____ cup.
Etymology
Originally a trademarked brand name for expanded polystyrene foam, now used generically for the material.
Rhymes for styrofoam
See all rhymes for styrofoam →Frequently asked questions
What does “styrofoam” mean?
The word “styrofoam” means a lightweight rigid foam plastic used for insulation, packaging, and disposable cups. In plain terms, the white foam material used in cups, coolers, and packaging.
How do you pronounce “styrofoam”?
“Styrofoam” is pronounced STEYE-ruh-fohm (/ˈstaɪ.ɹə.foʊm/ in IPA).
How do you use “styrofoam” in a sentence?
Here is “styrofoam” used in a sentence: “The coffee came in a Styrofoam cup.”
What part of speech is “styrofoam”?
“Styrofoam” is a noun.
