plastic
- Top 3000
Sense 1
- noun
- B1
A light man-made material that can be shaped while soft and stays hard once it cools, used for bottles, bags and toys.
Most cheap garden chairs are made of hard white plastic.
Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down in soil.
The knife handle is covered with soft plastic for a better grip.
Common collocations: made of plastic · recycled plastic · single-use plastic · plastic waste · hard plastic
Part of: Materials, Science and technology
Sense 2
- adjective
- A2
Made of this light man-made material.
She fills the same plastic bottle with water every morning.
Put the leftovers in a plastic box with a tight lid.
The whole toolbox is plastic, so it weighs almost nothing.
Common collocations: a plastic bag · a plastic bottle · a plastic cup · a plastic box · plastic packaging
Part of: Materials, Kitchen utensils, Shops and shopping
Sense 3 · less common
- adjective
- C1
Seeming false and without any real feeling behind it.
He greeted every guest with the same plastic smile.
Her answers sounded plastic, as if learned by heart.
Common collocations: a plastic smile · sound plastic · plastic charm
Part of: Personality, Appearance, Attitudes and opinions
Forms
- plural
- plastics