First recorded in 1905–10; formerly a trademark
A thermos is a portable container that keeps liquids hot or cold for a long time. When you go ice skating, you may want to bring along a thermos of hot chocolate. Officially, the word Thermos is spelled with a capital T, since like Band-Aid and Kleenex, it's actually a trademarked brand name. Still, it's common to refer to vacuum flasks (even those not made by the Thermos company) generally as thermoses. The very first thermos was made in 1892, and they were produced commercially starting in 1904. In Greek, the word thermos means "hot."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The base fits in cupholders; the handle makes it easier to sip from a heavy thermos while multitasking.
From Slate • Jan. 18, 2024
The legacy brand that sold its iconic green thermos to men for decades has recently pivoted to targeting women and younger generations through influencer marketing and product scarcity.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 12, 2024
She was seen entering the courthouse on Tuesday morning wearing a blue baseball cap and sunglasses, and carrying a blue thermos.
From Reuters • Oct. 10, 2023
There's Barbie T-shirts, stationary sets, enamel pin sets, sunglasses and even a limited edition Barbie lunchbox and thermos set.
From Salon • Aug. 5, 2023
He collects his laptops and his thermos and goes inside, with CPU trotting after him.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
