soap bubble

American  

noun

1. a bubble of soapsuds.

2. something that lacks substance or permanence.

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soap bubble British  

noun

1. a bubble formed from soapy water

2. something that is ephemeral but attractive

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Etymology

Origin of soap bubble

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

A massive Ruhlmann sideboard, first made in 1920, is inlaid with an ivory marquetry pattern that suggests—to me, least—soap bubbles.

From The Wall Street Journal

Most ingenious of all are the soap bubbles, devised by Mr. Forman, an MIT doctoral student, that drift around the stage as whirling snow.

From The Wall Street Journal

Cassiopeia made a soapy mustache of her own hair and Penelope’s, and then blew through the strands until soap bubbles floated lazily through the air.

From Literature

Try as one might to keep Nico Iamaleava under wraps, the media viewing sessions at UCLA’s football training camp shorter than the lifespan of a soap bubble, several trends have emerged.

From Los Angeles Times

Our cells are surrounded by a fragile membrane that's only 5 nanometers thick, 1/20 of a soap bubble.

From Science Daily