insulation
Americannoun
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insulations
plural
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material used for insulating.
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the act of insulating.
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the state of being insulated.
noun
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Also called: insulant. material used to insulate a body, device, or region
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the act or process of insulating
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of insulation
Explanation
Insulation is the process of keeping heat, sound, or electricity from spreading. It's also the material used to do so. If you can hear your neighbor snoring at night, you might need better sound insulation. Your thermos of hot chocolate stays warm when it's freezing outside because the thermos provides insulation. Similarly, the insulation in an ice chest keeps your sodas and food cool at the beach, even when you're being scorched by the sun. Insulation can also refer to a state of being detached or isolated. If you stay at home and avoid TV, the internet, and phone calls, you are in a state of insulation.
Vocabulary lists containing insulation
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Physical Science - Energy - Introductory
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Physics - Introductory
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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:
Nearby fields were littered with broken deckchairs, scraps of fiberglass insulation and pieces of wire fencing ripped apart by the fierce winds that struck the village and its surroundings.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
The work also focused on getting rid of "thermal bridges" - which are parts of the home where heat is exchanged rapidly, such as where the insulation is broken up between rafters in your home.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
If your vehicle doesn’t come with a set, I recommend finding a cable with a thick gauge, good insulation, durable clamps, and a good length.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
It argued that going private would provide insulation from volatile quarterly earnings releases, or that Mattel could be plugged into another company’s established distribution flywheel, avoiding the costly effort of building one from scratch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
At this house and how I can hear her upstairs because the house is a million years old and there’s no insulation between ceilings and floors, unless you count centuries-old mouse nests.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
Almost all of the external wall insulations delivered under the scheme – 98% – required repairs, according to the a report by the National Audit Office.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Recycled IT equipment and household goods make up the building's cladding, signs are from used coffee beans and insulations is provided by sheep wool.
From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2021
Choosing a winter jacket may seem straightforward, but there’s an almost dizzying array of styles, fabrics and insulations to sift through.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 6, 2021
These special foams expand with less force than some regular expanding foam insulations.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 3, 2010
And farther, places for strong insulations; and again, places under the earth, which by nature, or art, yield heat.
From New Atlantis by Francis Bacon
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.
