noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈstaɪ.ɹə.fəʊm/
General-American:/ˈstaɪ.ɹə.foʊm/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -aɪɹəfəʊm
CMU ARPABET:S T AY1 R AH0 F OW2 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Expanded polystyrene foam, such as is used in cups and packaging.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a light resilient foam of polystyrene
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: polystyrene, foam
History
Etymology
Genericized trademark of Styrofoam, from -styr- (from polystyrene) + -o- + foam.
Across languages
Translations
44 source translations are retained for this English entry.
