Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

dental floss

noun

Definition of dental floss

  1. :  a thread used to clean between the teeth

See dental floss defined for English-language learners

See dental floss defined for kids

People Are Reading

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz
alt-594d2b6325245
'Pride': The Word That Went From Vice to Strength
alt-594ab41a604d2
Trending: Kim and Kanye Might Have Hired a Surrogate Mother
decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

1910

First Known Use of dental floss

1910

DENTAL FLOSS Defined for English Language Learners

dental floss

noun

Definition of dental floss for English Language Learners

  • : a special thread that is used to clean between your teeth

DENTAL FLOSS Defined for Kids

dental floss

noun

Definition of dental floss for Students

  1. :  a special thread used for cleaning between teeth

Medical Dictionary

dental floss

noun

Medical Definition of dental floss

  1. :  a thread used to clean between the teeth

Learn More about dental floss

  1. See words that rhyme with dental floss Spanish Central: Translation of dental floss Nglish: Translation of dental floss for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up dental floss? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

volplane

play

to glide in or as if in an airplane

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  2. zealot A fanatical partisan

  3. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  4. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

  5. depose That word might not mean what you think it means.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

dental floss

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
  • Which is a synonym of garner?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-594d2b6325245
'Pride': The Word That Went From Vice to Strength

Do you take pride in Pride?

image599301899
Pink: The Color that Will Change Your Life

From Fuchsia to Baker-Miller Pink

image2144101468
That Sucks Word Alternatives

Your day is the worst. Your vocabulary is the best.

alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time

Once more, with 'feels'

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
alt-5941ad7527c3c
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game