surface area
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of surface area
First recorded in 1820–30
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.
Children also have higher respiratory rates than adults, as well as larger lung surface area relative to their body size, resulting in higher doses of pollution per breath.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
If the crystals clump, they lose surface area needed to process more heme efficiently.
From Science Daily • Mar. 19, 2026
Little said that many "basic frauds" are still effective, but fraudsters will "use systems to increase the surface area of their attack".
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
When you shape the loaf yourself, you create more surface area.
From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026
The pencil was to form a hole in the powder, increasing its surface area, according to Quentin’s idea.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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.
