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floss

/flɑs/
/flɒs/
IPA guide

Other forms: flosses; flossing; flossed

Floss is what you use to clean between your teeth. Dental floss is a strong, thick thread that can reach small pieces of food in tight spaces.

Your dentist will be happy with you if you really do use floss every day — and to do this is to floss. Other types of floss are soft threads with different uses: some floss is made for stitching or embroidering designs on fabric, and the strands of silk spun by a silkworm are also floss. The origin of this word is uncertain, but one guess connects it to floche, "tuft of wool" in French.

Definitions of floss
  1. noun
    a soft thread for cleaning the spaces between the teeth
    synonyms: dental floss
    see moresee less
    type of:
    thread, yarn
    a fine cord of twisted fibers (of cotton or silk or wool or nylon etc.) used in sewing and weaving
  2. verb
    use dental floss to clean
    floss your teeth after every meal”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    clean, cleanse
    clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing
  3. noun
    a soft loosely twisted thread used in embroidery
    see moresee less
    type of:
    thread, yarn
    a fine cord of twisted fibers (of cotton or silk or wool or nylon etc.) used in sewing and weaving
Pronunciation
US
/flɑs/
UK
/flɒs/
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