What does "floss" mean?
A thread used to clean the gaps between the teeth.
Floss
/flɒs/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A thread used to clean the gaps between the teeth.
- Grammar: floss is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: blubber, breeze, butter, clay.
- Useful contrasts: conceal, downplay, ignore.
- Usage evidence: My gums bleed whenever I floss my teeth.
How to use "floss"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "floss" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "floss" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "floss" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "floss" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "floss" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "blubber" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "floss", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A thread used to clean the gaps between the teeth. countable, uncountable
- 2 A small stream of water. UK
- 3 The common rush (Juncus effusus). Northern-England, Scotland
- 4 Abbreviation of free/libre/open source software. abbreviation, alt-of, uncountable
"FLOSS has proven to be an extremely valuable tool for accelerating research in various fields of IT and engineering in order to address the needs of society in the future."
- 5 a soft thread for cleaning the spaces between the teeth wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 Raw silk fibres. countable, uncountable
- 7 Fluid glass floating on iron in the puddling furnace, produced by the vitrification of oxides and earths which are present.
- 8 a soft loosely twisted thread used in embroidery wordnet
- 9 The fibres covering a corncob etc.; the loose downy or silky material inside the husks of certain plants, such as beans. countable, uncountable
- 10 Any thread-like material having parallel strands that are not spun or wound around each other. countable, uncountable
"embroidery floss"
- 11 Spun sugar or cotton candy, especially in the phrase "candy floss". British, countable, uncountable
- 12 A body feather of an ostrich. countable, uncountable
"Flosses are soft, and grey from the female and black from the male."
- 13 A dance move in which the dancer repeatedly swings their arms, with clenched fists, from the back of their body to the front, on each side. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To clean the area between (the teeth) using floss. ambitransitive
"I don't floss very often."
- 2 use dental floss to clean wordnet
- 3 To show off, especially by exhibiting one's wealth or talent. slang
"As the label's name no doubt implies, these rappers aren't your typical crew, even if they still like to floss and represent their city."
- 4 To perform the floss dance move. intransitive
Example
"My gums bleed whenever I floss my teeth."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "floss"?
Common synonyms include: blubber, breeze, butter, clay, clean, cord.
How do you use "floss" in a sentence?
My gums bleed whenever I floss my teeth.
How do you pronounce "floss"?
Pronounced /flɒs/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Unclear: * Possibly from French floche (“tuft of wool”), from floc, from Old French flosche (“down, velvet”), from Latin floccus (“piece of wool”), probably from Frankish *flokkō (“down, wool, flock”), from Proto-Germanic *flukkô (“down, piece of wool, flock”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“hair, fibres, tuft”). * Or, from Middle English *flos (attested in Middle English Flosmonger (a surname)), from Proto-West Germanic *fleus, related to English fleece. Cognate with Old High German flocko (“down”), Middle Dutch vlocke (“flock”), Norwegian dialectal flugsa (“snowflake”), Dutch flos (“plush”) (tr=17c.).
Etymology 2
From dialectal flosh (“a flush, stream of water, sluice”), from Middle English flosche, flusche, flasche, flaske (“a watery or marshy place, swamp”), perhaps from Old French flache, from Middle Dutch vlacke (“a flat area, plain”), ultimately related to Proto-West Germanic *fleutan. Compare also German Floss (“a float”).
Etymology 3
Origin obscure. Perhaps of North Germanic origin. Compare Norwegian flos, flus (“rind, scale, strip peeled off”).