soap bubble

noun

a bubble of soapsuds.
something that lacks substance or permanence.

Origin of soap bubble

First recorded in 1805–15

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for soap-bubble

Historical Examples of soap-bubble

Tobe set down the pitcher as gingerly as if it had been a soap-bubble.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various
Every one has noticed the beautiful colours manifested in a soap-bubble.
Great Astronomers
R. S. Ball
So I stayed and the book grew like a soap-bubble the first week.
At the Age of Eve
Kate Trimble Sharber
If no bubble forms and floats off like a soap-bubble, the batch is not done.
Hints on cheese-making
Thomas Day Curtis
She too felt sad now, sad because of the soap-bubble that had burst.
Ecstasy: A Study of Happiness
Louis Couperus

British Dictionary definitions for soap-bubble

soap bubble

noun

a bubble formed from soapy water
something that is ephemeral but attractive

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

Word Origin and History for soap-bubble

1800, from soap (n.) + bubble (n.).