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cellophane

American  
[sel-uh-feyn] / ˈsɛl əˌfeɪn /

noun

  1. a transparent, paperlike product of viscose, impervious to moisture, germs, etc., used to wrap and package food, tobacco, etc.

adjective

  1. of, made of, or resembling cellophane.

Cellophane British  
/ ˈsɛləˌfeɪn /

noun

  1. a flexible thin transparent sheeting made from wood pulp and used as a moisture-proof wrapping

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cellophane

First recorded in 1910–15; formerly trademark

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One comes in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag; the other is tucked into one of those sweet little Kraft paper bags with a quaint cellophane window.

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2025

“Copy of Final Check Enclosed,” said one, and in the cellophane window was what looked like a check for $437.18 that said “Pay to the order of …”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 23, 2024

At the end of her roughly 15-minute speech, Walz held up a small cellophane bag filled with cookies.

From Slate • Oct. 17, 2024

What began with cellophane in the 1930s picked up speed with the rise of plastic clamshells in the 1980s and bagged salads in the 1990s.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2024

The gifts he would carry were wrapped in colored tissue paper—and in addition there was a deluxe basket of fruits done up in cellophane and a crate of late-shipped strawberries.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.