spandex

noun

span·​dex ˈspan-ˌdeks 

: any of various elastic textile fibers made chiefly of polyurethane

also : clothing made of this material

Did you know?

Spandex is a fiber that has had an impact on fashion high and low, casual and formal, outer and under. It's not a trademark, as a number of the names of other fibers are, among them Dacron, Lycra, and Orlon. It's a generic term, coined in 1959 as an anagram of the word expands. Anagrammatic coinages are not common; the only other in our dictionaries that the average person is likely to be familiar with is sideburns. Sideburns is an anagram (and synonym) of burnsides, from Ambrose E. Burnside, a Union general in the American Civil War credited with originating the fashion (in the U.S., at least) also known as side-whiskers.

Examples of spandex in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The brand is also exploring opportunities to use The Lycra Company’s bio-derived spandex made with Qira and to start a wholesale business. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026

Made from 98-percent cotton and 2-percent spandex, these pants have a slight stretch to them along with functional front and back pockets. — Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2026

On the one hand, the gross isn’t bad considering that the title character is a niche player and the gory genre isn’t associated with the spandex set. — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2026

They’re made from a buttery soft and cooling blend of bamboo, cotton, and spandex for breathable wear every time. — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 24 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

anagram of expands

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

spandex

noun

span·​dex ˈspan-ˌdeks 

: any of various synthetic elastic textile fibers