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Showing results for borax.

borax

1 American  
[bawr-aks, -uhks, bohr-] / ˈbɔr æks, -əks, ˈboʊr- /

noun

plural

boraxes, boraces

  1. a white, water-soluble powder or crystals, hydrated sodium borate, Na 2 B 4 O 7 ⋅10H 2 O, occurring naturally or obtained from naturally occurring borates; tincal: used as a flux, cleansing agent, in the manufacture of glass, porcelain, and enamel, and in tanning.

borax 2 American  
[bawr-aks, -uhks, bohr-] / ˈbɔr æks, -əks, ˈboʊr- /

noun

  1. cheap, showy, poorly made merchandise, especially cheaply built furniture of an undistinguished or heterogeneous style.

borax British  
/ ˈbɔːræks /

noun

  1. Also called: tincal.  a soluble readily fusible white mineral consisting of impure hydrated disodium tetraborate in monoclinic crystalline form, occurring in alkaline soils and salt deposits. Formula: Na 2 B 4 O 7 .10H 2 O

  2. pure disodium tetraborate

"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
borax Scientific  
/ bôr′ăks′ /

  1. A white, crystalline powder and mineral used as an antiseptic, as a cleansing agent, and in fusing metals and making heat-resistant glass. The mineral is an ore of boron and also occurs in yellowish, blue, or green varieties. Chemical formula: Na 2 B 4 O 7 ·10H 2 O.

Etymology

Origin of borax1

1350–1400; < Medieval Latin ≪ dialectal Arabic būraq < Middle Persian būrag; replacing Middle English boras < Middle French < Medieval Latin borax

Origin of borax2

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; of uncertain origin

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.

These improvements didn’t improve anywhere near so thoroughly as the borax man promised.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

Not every trend on TikTok is as horrific or annoying as drinking borax or pranking strangers — some memes are downright heartwarming.

From Salon • Jun. 1, 2024

The fire, one of two that day, occurred just after midnight April 4 behind the Borax Museum and destroyed a wooden wagon used to transport borax out of Death Valley in the late 1800s.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024

You can create a natural cleaning solution from baking soda, lemon juice and borax.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 20, 2024

I’ve got glue, Mom’s baking soda, a four-pound box of borax, and several vials of food coloring.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

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.