floss

1 of 2

noun

ˈfläs 

ˈflȯs

1

a

: soft thread of silk or mercerized cotton for embroidery

b

: dental floss

2

: fluffy fibrous material

floss

2 of 2

verb

flossed; flossing; flosses

transitive verb

: to use dental floss on

intransitive verb

: to use dental floss

Synonyms

Noun

• down
• fluff
• fur
• fuzz
• lint
• nap
• pile

Examples of floss in a Sentence

Noun

used cotton floss to simulate Santa's beard

Verb

My dentist told me I should floss more often.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Zhou and Chen plan to debut fan tuan, Taiwanese sticky rice rolled around savory fillings such as pork floss, pickled mustard greens and fried dough, at Rice Theory this summer. —Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2025

The same is true for floss, which is often made of or coated with plastic. —Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 20 Feb. 2025

Verb

Once your child has two teeth touching, experts recommend flossing to keep their gums healthy. —Sherri Gordon, Parents, 28 Feb. 2025

An adorable video of a Chihuahua who loves to floss has delighted the internet, as TikTok users can't get enough of his love of dental hygiene. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably borrowed from Occitan (Languedoc or an adjacent area) flos "loose, untwisted (of silk)," going back to Latin fluxus "flowing, liquid, flabby, soft," from past participle of fluere "to flow" — more at fluid entry 1

Note: The English word apparently first occurs in Samuel Pullein's The Culture of Silk: Or, an Essay on its Rational Practice and Improvement (London, 1758). Pullein is unclear as to his sources, but he seems to have been familiar with silk production and the cultivation of mulberry trees in southeastern France and northwestern Italy. He uses the word both as an independent noun and in the collocation floss silk, which corresponds to French soie floche, Occitan sedo flusso (thus in Mistral, Lou tresor dóu Felibrige), and Italian seta floscia. French floche, which on phonetic grounds is unlikely to be the direct source of the English word, is traced to Gascon in Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, though Gascony was not a major center of silk production.

Verb

derivative of floss entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1759, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1974, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing floss

• candy floss
• dental floss

Rhymes for floss

• blas
• bos
• boss
• bosse
• clos
• crosse
• dos
• doss
• dross
• foss
• fosse
• gloss

Kids Definition

floss

1 of 2 noun

ˈfläs 

ˈflȯs

1

a

: soft silk or cotton thread used for embroidery

b

: dental floss

2

: fluffy material full of fibers

floss

2 of 2 verb

: to use dental floss on (one's teeth)

Medical Definition

floss

1 of 2 noun

ˈfläs, ˈflȯs 

: dental floss

floss

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to use dental floss on (one's teeth)

the correct way to floss your teeth

intransitive verb

: to use dental floss

flosses daily