synthetic rubber

American

noun

any of several substances similar to natural rubber in properties and uses, produced by the polymerization of an unsaturated hydrocarbon, as butylene or isoprene, or by the copolymerization of such hydrocarbons with styrene, butadiene, or the like.

synthetic rubber British

noun

any of various synthetic materials, similar to natural rubber, made by polymerizing unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as isoprene and butadiene

"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

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.

Some children benefit from knowing cool golf history facts—like how balls are now made with a synthetic rubber core, but they used to be stuffed with feathers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The defence official said a "massive attack" was carried out on a plant in Togliatti that produced synthetic rubber and petrochemical raw materials.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Most people who own a smart watch or fitness watch use a band made of synthetic rubber to hold the device on their wrist.

From Salon • Dec. 24, 2024

This is because nearly 25% of the components in a tire are made of synthetic rubber, which is a plastic.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2024

The problem of synthetic rubber has then been solved scientifically but not industrially.

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Slosson, Edwin E.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023