foam

[ fohm ]

/ foʊm /

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noun

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

the froth of perspiration, caused by great exertion, formed on the skin of a horse or other animal.

froth formed from saliva in the mouth, as in epilepsy and rabies.

a thick frothy substance, as shaving cream.

(in firefighting)

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.
the layer of bubbles so formed.

a dispersion of gas bubbles in a solid, as foam glass, foam rubber, polyfoam, or foamed metal.

Literary. the sea.

verb (used without object)

to form or gather foam; emit foam; froth.

verb (used with object)

to cause to foam.

to cover with foam; apply foam to: to foam a runway before an emergency landing.

to insulate with foam.

to make (plastic, metal, etc.) into a foam.

Nearby words

fo'c's'le, fo'c'sle, fo, dario, fo., foal, foam, foam at the mouth, foam cell, foam glass, foam rubber, foamed metal

Idioms

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

Origin of foam

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

SYNONYMS FOR foam

1 froth, spume, head, fizz; scum.

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Related forms

foam·a·ble, adjectivefoam·er, nounfoam·ing·ly, adverbfoam·less, adjective

foam·like, adjectivede·foam, verb (used with object)un·foamed, adjectiveun·foam·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for foam at the mouth

foam

/ (fəʊm) /

noun

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

frothy saliva sometimes formed in and expelled from the mouth, as in rabies

the frothy sweat of a horse or similar animal

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
(as modifier)foam rubber; foam plastic

a colloid consisting of a gas suspended in a liquid

a mixture of chemicals sprayed from a fire extinguisher onto a burning substance to create a stable layer of bubbles which smothers the flames

a poetic word for the sea

verb

to produce or cause to produce foam; froth

(intr) to be very angry (esp in the phrase foam at the mouth)

Derived Formsfoamless, adjectivefoamlike, adjective

Word Origin for foam

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

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

Science definitions for foam at the mouth

foam

[ fōm ]

Small, frothy bubbles formed in or on the surface of a liquid, as from fermentation or shaking.

A colloid in which particles of a gas are dispersed throughout a liquid. Compare aerosol emulsion.

Idioms and Phrases with foam at the mouth

foam at the mouth

Be extremely angry, as in She was foaming at the mouth over the judge's ruling. This hyperbolic term uses the verb foam in the sense of “froth at the mouth,” a usage generally applied to animals such as horses and dating from about a.d. 950. [1400s]

foam

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of foam

British Dictionary definitions for foam at the mouth

foam

noun

verb

Word Origin for foam

Science definitions for foam at the mouth

foam

Idioms and Phrases with foam at the mouth

foam at the mouth