surfactant

sur·fac·tant | \ (ˌ)sər-ˈfak-tənt

How to pronounce surfactant (audio)

, ˈsər-ˌfak- \

Definition of surfactant

: a surface-active substance (such as a detergent)

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Examples of surfactant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Kheradmand suspects that vape solvents disrupt the ability of cells to recycle lung surfactant, an oil-protein substance that is required to keep the air sacs open. — BostonGlobe.com, "At least 15 incidents of lung injuries linked to vaping occurred prior to this year’s epidemic, a review by Bloomberg News found. The cases — spanning the globe from Guam to Japan to England to the United States — include reports of mysterious pneumonia and fatal bleeding from tiny air sacs.," 26 Sep. 2019 Chemists solve the problem by increasing the surface area of the oil particles and adding ingredients, called surfactants and emulsifiers, to prevent separation. — Carla K. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "How much pot in that brownie? Chocolate can throw off tests," 27 Aug. 2019 Chemists solve the problem by increasing the surface area of the oil particles and adding ingredients, called surfactants and emulsifiers, to prevent separation. — Carla K. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "How much pot in that brownie? Chocolate can throw off tests," 27 Aug. 2019 Next, Xubo Liu, lead author of the new work and a researcher in Russell’s team at LBNL, added a surfactant to these droplets. — Kelso Harper, Scientific American, "Watch Liquid-Based Magnet Droplets Twirl and Morph," 23 July 2019 Chemists solve the problem by increasing the surface area of the oil particles and adding ingredients, called surfactants and emulsifiers, to prevent separation. — Carla K. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "How much pot in that brownie? Chocolate can throw off tests," 27 Aug. 2019 Chemists solve the problem by increasing the surface area of the oil particles and adding ingredients, called surfactants and emulsifiers, to prevent separation. — Washington Post, "How much pot in that brownie? Chocolate can throw off tests," 26 Aug. 2019 Chemists solve the problem by increasing the surface area of the oil particles and adding ingredients, called surfactants and emulsifiers, to prevent separation. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "How much pot in that brownie? Chocolate can throw off tests," 26 Aug. 2019 Chemists solve the problem by increasing the surface area of the oil particles and adding ingredients, called surfactants and emulsifiers, to prevent separation. — Carla K. Johnson, BostonGlobe.com, "How much pot in that brownie? Chocolate can throw off tests," 26 Aug. 2019

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

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Dictionary Entries near surfactant

surfacing machine

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Last Updated

12 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Surfactant.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surfactant. Accessed 8 December 2019.

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