polystyrene

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

|Updated on: 15 Jun 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 ruling issued Friday in state court in Manhattan means officials can go forward with their ban on polystyrene containers, city lawyers said.

— washington post, BostonGlobe.com, "Dozens made ill in salmonella outbreak," 9 June 2018
Some of the boys didn’t know how to swim and were stuffing pieces of polystyrene down their underwear to keep them afloat.

— ivor prickett, New York Times, "A Drink in a Bar, a Dip in the Tigris: Mosul Returns to Life," 29 May 2018
The groups of worms were given 1.8 grams of polystyrene, polyethylene, or both.

— erin corbett, Fortune, "How Worms Can Help Recycle Plastic," 27 May 2018
The builders put lightweight, expanded polystyrene blocks under the 21-level tower as absorbers.

— ralph jennings, latimes.com, "It took a deadly earthquake to get Taiwan's attention, but now it's demanding safer buildings," 9 Mar. 2018
Mayor Catherine Pugh signed a bill Thursday giving businesses 18 months to stop using containers made from polystyrene foam.

— CBS News, "Baltimore banning plastic foam containers with new law," 20 Apr. 2018
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

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.