polymer

American  

[pol-uh-mer] / ˈpɒl ə mər /

noun

Chemistry.

• polymers
  plural

1. a compound of high molecular weight derived either by the addition of many smaller molecules, as polyethylene, or by the condensation of many smaller molecules with the elimination of water, alcohol, or the like, as nylon.

2. a compound formed from two or more polymeric compounds.

3. a product of polymerization.

---

polymer British  

/ ˈpɒlɪmə, ˈpɒlɪmə-, pəˈlɪməˌrɪzəm /

noun

1. a naturally occurring or synthetic compound, such as starch or Perspex, that has large molecules made up of many relatively simple repeated units Compare copolymer oligomer

---

polymer Scientific  

/ pŏl′ə-mər /

1. Any of various chemical compounds made of smaller, identical molecules (called monomers) linked together. Some polymers, like cellulose, occur naturally, while others, like nylon, are artificial. Polymers have extremely high molecular weights, make up many of the tissues of organisms, and have extremely varied and versatile uses in industry, such as in making plastics, concrete, glass, and rubber.

2. ◆ The process by which molecules are linked together to form polymers is called polymerization (pŏl′ə-lĭm′ər-ĭ-zā|||PRIMARY_STRESS|||shən).

---

polymer Cultural  

1. In chemistry, a long molecule made up of a chain of smaller, simpler molecules.

---

Discover More

Proteins and many carbohydrates, such as cellulose, are polymers. Plastics are also polymers.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• polymerism
  noun
• superpolymer
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• polymers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of polymer

First recorded in 1865–70, polymer is from the Greek word polymerḗs having many parts. See poly-, -mer

Compare meaning

How does polymer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• monomer vs. polymer

Explanation

A polymer is a very large, chain-like molecule made up of monomers, which are small molecules. It can be naturally occurring or synthetic. What's a mer? — you might ask. Well, it means "part," and it works only as a suffix. Since poly- means "many," a polymer means "many parts." You'll find polymers everywhere: they're what make spandex stretch and sneakers bounce. They're the plastic drink bottles that you're always careful to recycle. Natural polymers include leather, rubber, and even the cellulose in your french fries and the protein in your chicken nuggets.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polymer polymers

"Our balloon is still made with natural latex, but we blend it with another biodegradable polymer and we don't add any of these additives that are used in traditional balloons," she said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

The researchers addressed this problem by taking advantage of nanoscale polymer aggregates that had previously been treated as unwanted 'defects' in polymer coatings.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

Bioloon starts with the same rubber material but uses a method that links the polymer chains together without harmful additives.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Foulkes said Mercury replaced some metal components with composite or polymer materials, and came up with aluminum alloys that maximized strength while remaining relatively lightweight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

It was constructed of an elasticated foil polymer on a multihinged fiberglass skeleton.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Sometimes known as "Doctor Death", he became famous for developing a technique called plastination, by which fluids and fatty tissue in corpses are replaced by rubber and polymers.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

MMA is a highly reactive chemical, a monomer that can be used to make polymers of hard, durable, lightweight and transparent plastics.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

Underlying Ebitda increased 6% on a sequential basis, driven by the company’s specialty polymers, Novecare and composite materials businesses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

"We were experimenting with caseinates to make milk-based nanofibers and found that it could be used to cast polymers similar to common packaging materials," says Mr. Gomez.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2026

He was an organic chemist, doing research on plastics and polymers.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien