foam

[ fohm ]

/ foʊm /

|||

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.

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

Examples from the Web for foaming

Thrown into a foaming red rage by the ending of The Sopranos or Lost or BSG or Mass Effect?
How ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ and FanFiction Conquered Pop Culture|Arthur Chu|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The haunting video shows apparent victims, including children, convulsing and foaming at the mouth.
Six Chilling Moments from Charlie Rose’s Assad Interview (VIDEO)|Ben Teitelbaum|September 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
What if Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the foaming right-wing pundit crowd aren't the face of modern conservatism?
Patriot Games|Lee Siegel|October 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
When the butter is foaming, lay in a batch of floured codfish chunks in one layer, not crowded.
Salt Cod, Scampi, Filet of Grouper|The Daily Beast|December 23, 2008|DAILY BEAST

When the revolutionary storm commenced he dared to brave its fury and tempt the bosses of its foaming surges.
Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution|L. Carroll Judson
Through the breach, foaming and swelling with irresistible power burst the tides of victory.
The Air Trust|George Allan England
We now turned up to breast its impetuous current which swept proudly along by us in foaming eddies.
Gleanings by the Way|John A. Clark
We called for the foaming brown brew and asked for roed spoette, our old Danish joy, and lunched delightfully.
Through Scandinavia to Moscow|William Seymour Edwards
Water-robins fluttered from rock to rock in the foaming flood.
The Forester's Daughter|Hamlin Garland

British Dictionary definitions for foaming

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 Forms

foamless, 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 foaming

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.