spandex

American

[span-deks] / ˈspæn dɛks /

noun

Chemistry.

a synthetic fiber composed of a long-chain polymer, used chiefly in the manufacture of garments to add elasticity.

spandex British

/ ˈspændɛks /

noun

a type of synthetic stretch fabric made from polyurethane fibre

"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 spandex

First recorded in 1955–60; anagram of expands

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.

See Examples For:

spandex

Andre Agassi was a Maverick who bucked trends in the late 1980s and early ’90s with neon spandex under jean shorts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

“There’s a lot of boas, and there’s a lot of spandex, and platform shoes.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

I was as impressed by the costumer Alexandra Byrne’s awareness that even super moms won’t immediately snap back into wearing tight spandex.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025

This purification of pregnancy has seen maternity fashions exploit the full potential of spandex, belts, and bows to annunciate rather than conceal the baby bump.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2025

It was empty, save for a couple of packs of cyclists that whizzed past, wearing those obscenely tight spandex shorts.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

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