Teflon

American

[tef-lon] / ˈtɛf lɒn /

Trademark.

a fluorocarbon polymer with slippery, nonsticking properties; polytetrafluoroethylene.

adjective

characterized by imperviousness to blame or criticism.

a Teflon politician.

Teflon British

/ ˈtɛflɒn /

noun

polytetrafluoroethylene, when used in nonstick cooking vessels

"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

adjective

facetious denoting the ability to evade blame

the Teflon president

"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

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See Examples For:

Teflon

So you don’t have to worry about getting cancer from your Teflon pan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

Sales of Chemours’ advanced materials business, which makes Teflon, among other products, fell 4%, to $312 million.

From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026

This is a historic dressing-down of somebody who thought they were made of Teflon.

From Slate ● Jan. 23, 2026

They have been used in many everyday products, including Teflon pans, waterproof clothing, and some food packaging.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 25, 2025

They move fast and efficiently through dense mobs, as if they have a Teflon coat, very rarely bumping into one another.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

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