foam

[ fohm ]

noun

1. a collection of minute bubbles formed on the surface of a liquid by agitation, fermentation, etc.:

   foam on a glass of beer.

   Synonyms: scum, fizz, head, spume, froth

2. the froth of perspiration, caused by great exertion, formed on the skin of a horse or other animal.
3. froth formed from saliva in the mouth, as in epilepsy and rabies.
4. a thick frothy substance, as shaving cream.
5. (in firefighting)
   1. a chemically produced substance that smothers the flames on a burning liquid by forming a layer of minute, stable, heat-resistant bubbles on the liquid's surface.
   2. the layer of bubbles so formed.
6. a dispersion of gas bubbles in a solid, as foam glass, foam rubber, polyfoam, or foamed metal.
7. Literary. the sea.

verb (used without object)

1. to form or gather foam; emit foam; froth.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to foam.
2. to cover with foam; apply foam to:

   to foam a runway before an emergency landing.

3. to insulate with foam.
4. to make (plastic, metal, etc.) into a foam.

foam

/ fəʊm /

noun

1. a mass of small bubbles of gas formed on the surface of a liquid, such as the froth produced by agitating a solution of soap or detergent in water
2. frothy saliva sometimes formed in and expelled from the mouth, as in rabies
3. the frothy sweat of a horse or similar animal
4. 1. any of a number of light cellular solids made by creating bubbles of gas in the liquid material and solidifying it: used as insulators and in packaging
   2. ( as modifier )

      foam rubber

      foam plastic

5. a colloid consisting of a gas suspended in a liquid
6. a mixture of chemicals sprayed from a fire extinguisher onto a burning substance to create a stable layer of bubbles which smothers the flames
7. a poetic word for the sea

verb

1. to produce or cause to produce foam; froth
2. intr to be very angry (esp in the phrase foam at the mouth )

foam

/ fōm /

1. Small, frothy bubbles formed in or on the surface of a liquid, as from fermentation or shaking.
2. A colloid in which particles of a gas are dispersed throughout a liquid.
3. Compare aerosol

Derived Forms

• ˈfoamˌlike, adjective
• ˈfoamless, adjective

Other Words From

• foama·ble adjective
• foamer noun
• foaming·ly adverb
• foamless adjective
• foamlike adjective
• de·foam verb (used with object)
• un·foamed adjective
• un·foaming adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of foam¹

before 900; Middle English fom, Old English fām; cognate with German Feim

Word History and Origins

Origin of foam¹

Old English fām ; related to Old High German feim , Latin spūma , Sanskrit phena

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. foam at the mouth, to be extremely or uncontrollably angry.

Example Sentences

Start with an insulated, inflatable pad, and consider layering it with a closed-cell foam pad for extra warmth.

From Popular-Science

Two colleagues picked him up in a truck loaded with a foam mattress, a chair, two buckets, towels and a full water tank on the roof.

From Ozy

As a result, the shot’s trajectory will bend to the side or even down towards the floor if you want to rain little foam balls on your opponents from above.

From Popular-Science

A slim-profile memory foam mattress less than 8 inches thick is going to work best for children and petite folks who weigh less than average.

From Popular-Science

These high-density foam organizers come in a wide variety of sizes, the smallest holding 30 bottles and the largest holding 63.

From Popular-Science

The best example of that would be my first year when Kevin Hart hosted, we wrote a sketch called “Foam Party.”

From The Daily Beast

We need to take a razor and make a boundary in the shaving foam, people.

From The Daily Beast

Near the Mason jars are foam heads, the kind a showgirl uses to style her wigs.

From The Daily Beast

I created the set, actually painted foam-core board to look like a door, and broke it out.

From The Daily Beast

They chew this thing, a real thing, they do this until they foam at the mouth.

From The Daily Beast

The train had long passed Hornberg, and far below the streams tumbled in white foam down the limestone rocks.

From Project Gutenberg

He had nearly bitten his swollen tongue in two falling over an unseen peat-cutting, and blood-flecked foam gathered on his lips.

From Project Gutenberg

Harry was white with dust, blood was dripping from his left hand and his horse, white with foam, stood trembling.

From Project Gutenberg

The storm which had for some time past been brewing, had fairly brewed itself up at last, and the wild sea was covered with foam.

From Project Gutenberg

Stanley Hall and Jim Welton stood leaning over the taffrail, looking down into the black foam-streaked water.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cream
• froth
• spray