laminate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to separate or split into thin layers.
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to form (metal) into a thin plate, as by beating or rolling.
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to construct from layers of material bonded together.
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to cover or overlay with laminae.
verb (used without object)
adjective
noun
verb
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(tr) to make (material in sheet form) by bonding together two or more thin sheets
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to split or be split into thin sheets
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(tr) to beat, form, or press (material, esp metal) into thin sheets
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(tr) to cover or overlay with a thin sheet of material
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
laminatesimple
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laminatessimple
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have laminatedperfect
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has laminatedperfect
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am laminatingprogressive
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are laminatingprogressive
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is laminatingprogressive
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have been laminatingperfect progressive
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has been laminatingperfect progressive
Past
-
laminatedsimple
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had laminatedperfect
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was laminatingprogressive
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were laminatingprogressive
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had been laminatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of laminate
From the New Latin word lāminātus, dating back to 1660–70. See lamina, -ate 1
Explanation
To laminate is to make something, especially paper, stronger and thicker by layering sheets of clear plastic over it. You might want to laminate your flimsy library card to protect it. Today all states laminate drivers' licenses, making them a sturdy plastic card rather than the insubstantial piece of paper they used to be. You might decide to laminate a poster for a school presentation you're giving, or laminate some old photos to protect them. Most methods used to laminate involve heat and some type of sticky or adhesive substance. The Latin root is lamina, "thin slice, leaf, or layer."
Vocabulary lists containing laminate
Stairway To Leaven: Baking Vocabulary
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From the Desk of Zoe Washington
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Book Scavenger
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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.
Drivers include a strong recovery in demand for AWS Trainium—a family of purpose-built AI accelerator chips— which should materially boost the company’s M8-grade copper-clad laminate shipments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
Mr Peck said he was disappointed by the way samples of a large piece of laminate flooring in the lounge, where it was believed the fire started, had been taken.
From BBC • May 21, 2025
Chanel Miller has wanted to be a children’s book author and illustrator since the second grade, when she started writing stories that her teacher, Mrs. Thomas, would laminate.
From New York Times • May 19, 2024
Quartz and quartzite countertops have become all the rage versus granite, marble or laminate.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 21, 2023
My stepfather was proud of me; he did ev-erything but laminate the poem.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
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.
