foam

1 of 2

noun

1
: a light frothy mass of fine bubbles formed in or on the surface of a liquid or from a liquid: such as
a
: a frothy mass formed in salivating or sweating
b
: a stabilized froth produced chemically or mechanically and used especially in fighting oil fires
c
: a material in a lightweight cellular form resulting from introduction of gas bubbles during manufacture
2
: sea
3
: something resembling foam
foamless adjective

foam

2 of 2

verb

foamed; foaming; foams

intransitive verb

1
a
: to produce or form foam
b
: to froth at the mouth especially in anger
broadly : to be angry
2
: to gush out in foam
3
: to become covered with or as if with foam
streets … foaming with lifeThomas Wolfe

transitive verb

1
: to cause to foam
specifically : to cause air bubbles to form in
2
: to convert (something, such as a plastic) into a foam
foamable adjective
foamer noun

Examples of foam in a Sentence

Noun As I poured the beer, foam bubbled up in the glass. The fire extinguisher is filled with foam. a can of shaving foam Verb The soda foamed in the glass. The mixture will bubble and foam when you add the yeast.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
With the press of a button, the frother whips up a cloud of cappuccino or latte foam, giving my early-morning kitchen the feel of a vibey coffee house. Jenny Berg, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2024 Mitigate Wildfire Consequences through Better Response and Recovery Wildfires can burn for weeks despite manpower, water, foam and fire lines. Louis Gritzo, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Verb
The Great Backlash was yet to be unleashed; the foaming tides of grievance awaited their arch whipper-up. James Parker, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2024 Working in batches, heat 1 tablespoon each of the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat until the butter stops foaming. Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for foam 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English fome, from Old English fām; akin to Old High German feim foam, Latin spuma foam, pumex pumice

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of foam was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near foam

Cite this Entry

“Foam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foam. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

foam

1 of 2 noun
1
: a light mass of fine bubbles formed in or on a liquid
2
: a mass of fine bubbles formed (as by a horse) in producing saliva or sweating
3
: a long-lasting mass of bubbles produced chemically and used especially in fighting oil fires
4
: a material (as rubber) in a lightweight cellular form resulting from the presence of gas bubbles during manufacture
foamily
ˈfō-mə-lē
adverb
foaminess
ˈfō-mē-nəs
noun
foamy
-mē
adjective

foam

2 of 2 verb
1
: to produce or form foam : froth
2
: to be angry

Medical Definition

foam

noun
: a light frothy mass of fine bubbles formed in or on the surface of a liquid
spermicidal foam
foam verb

More from Merriam-Webster on foam

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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