English
floss
see also: FLOSS
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /flɒs/
  • (America) IPA: /flɔs/
  • (cot-caught, Canada) IPA: /flɑs/
Noun

floss

  1. A thread used to clean the gaps between the teeth.
  2. Raw silk fibres.
  3. The fibres covering a corncob etc.; the loose downy or silky material inside the husks of certain plants, such as beans.
  4. Any thread-like material having parallel strands that are not spun or wound around each other.
    embroidery floss
  5. (British) Spun sugar or cotton candy, especially in the phrase "candy floss".
  6. A body feather of an ostrich.
    Flosses are soft, and grey from the female and black from the male.
  7. A dance move in which the dancer repeatedly swings their arms, with clenched fists, from the back of their body to the front, on each side.
Translations Translations
  • German: Rohseide, Seidenfaser
Translations
  • German: Maiskolbenfaser
Translations Verb

floss (flosses, present participle flossing; past and past participle flossed)

  1. To clean the area between the teeth using floss.
  2. (slang, African American Vernacular English) To show off, especially by exhibiting one's wealth or talent.
    • 2003, Vladimir Bogdanov, All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap and Hip-Hop, Backbeat Books, page 554:
      As the label's name no doubt implies, these rappers aren't your typical crew, even if they still like to floss and represent their city.
    • 2003, Wang, Oliver, Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide, ECW Press, page 134:
      “Ms. Jackson” is probably the most sensitive—and realistic—take on relationships to come out of hip-hop, while “Red Velvet” cautions would-be playas against pushing the floss envelope around “dirty boys” just waiting for a chance to add some gray flecks to that fur.
    • 2007, Azie Faison, Agyei Tyehimba, Game Over: The Rise and Transformation of a Harlem Hustler, Simon and Schuster, page 69:
      It's impossible to floss wealth without attracting envy.
  3. To perform the floss dance move.
Related terms Noun

floss (plural flosses)

  1. (UK) A small stream of water.
  2. Fluid glass floating on iron in the puddling furnace, produced by the vitrification of oxides and earths which are present.
FLOSS
Noun

floss (uncountable)

  1. (computing) Abbreviation of free#English|free/libre#English|libre/open source#English|open source software#English|software.
    cot en
    • 2019, Brian Fitzgerald, Audris Mockus, Minghui Zhou, Towards Engineering Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) Ecosystems for Impact and Sustainability, Springer (ISBN 9789811370991), page 121:
      FLOSS has proven to be an extremely valuable tool for accelerating research in various fields of IT and engineering in order to address the needs of society in the future.


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