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foam

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A mass of small bubbles formed in or on a liquid.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

fohm
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈfoʊm

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A substance composed of a large collection of bubbles or their solidified remains, especially

  2. A collection of small bubbles on the surface of a liquid that is heated, fermented or carbonated.

  3. A collection of small bubbles created by mixing soap with water.

  4. A mass of small bubbles formed in or on a liquid

    “The beer had a thick head of foam.”

  5. A collection of small bubbles created when the surface of a body of water is moved by tides, wind, etc.

  6. A material formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or solid.

verb

  1. intransitive

    To form or emit foam.

  2. intransitive

    To spew saliva as foam; to foam at the mouth.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A substance composed of a large collection of bubbles or their solidified remains, especially

Used this way, foam is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use foam

  • “The beer had a thick head of foam.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Substance / collection

sea foam

Lightweight

polyurethane foam

Other combinations

foam rubberfoam corewhite foamplastic foamlike foamrigid foam

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • foam at the mouthverbCompound term

    Be in a state of uncontrolled anger.

  • foam rubbernounCompound term

    Spongy rubber.

  • polyurethane foamnounCompound term

    A foam made by adding water to polyurethane plastics.

  • shaving foamnounCompound term

    Toiletry consisting of a liquid preparation containing many small bubbles that soften the beard before shaving.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to form or emit foam

sparkle

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.