polystyrene

noun poly·sty·rene \ ˌpä-lē-ˈstī-ˌrēn \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of polystyrene

: a polymer of styrene; especially : a rigid transparent thermoplastic that has good physical and electrical insulating properties and is used especially in molded products, foams, and sheet materials

See polystyrene defined for kids

Recent Examples of polystyrene from the Web

The legislation would have made Maryland the first state to ban polystyrene foam.

— scott dance, baltimoresun.com, "A proposal to make Maryland the first state to ban polystyrene foam is facing rejection," 13 Mar. 2018
Malibu already bans the commercial use of plastic shopping bags and polystyrene food containers.

— NBC News, "Fighting pollution by saying 'no' to plastic straws," 14 Mar. 2018
Styrofoam: There is no current market for polystyrene.

— ed fletcher, sacbee, "Cheat sheet: Can you recycle that in Sacramento? | The Sacramento Bee," 12 Mar. 2018
As the search for Brotherton and Lucey went on, the fire continued to spread, feeding on the fresh air sucked up from below and on cork and polystyrene on the floors above.

— sean flynn, Esquire, "The Perfect Fire," 9 Mar. 2017
David said cassettes and their cases are typically made of polypropylene or polystyrene.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "A tale of the tape that goes down to the wire: More on dispatching old cassettes," 27 Feb. 2018
Businesses have moved away from polystyrene, which is made from nonrenewable petroleum, in recent years, but schools have been slower to do so.

— Philly.com, "Philly schools ditch Styrofoam trays, embrace a greener lunch option," 13 Feb. 2018
Andy Johnson's return to Palace was more of a PR stunt rather than a signing of a viable first team option, as due to the fact that the forward's knees were made of polystyrene, the forward didn't play much football back in red and blue.

— SI.com, "The Worst of the Worst: 11 Terrible Signings Crystal Palace Have Made Since Their Promotion," 16 Jan. 2018
The city banned the single-use plastic bags before the state did, and the City Council last year approved a ban on the use of polystyrene coffee cups and take-out food containers.

— barbara henry, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Encinitas explores limiting drinking straws," 19 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'polystyrene.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.