[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/floss/)

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# floss

noun (floss, dental floss — uncountable); verb (floss, flosses, flossed, flossing)

«floss» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Dental floss is a thin thread used to clean between your teeth. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#m1)
2. To floss is to clean between your teeth with this thread. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#m2)
3. The floss is a dance where you swing your arms and hips from side to side. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#m3)
4. Candy floss (British) is a fluffy pink sweet made of spun sugar; Americans call it cotton candy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#m4)

### In the lessons

In health and hygiene, brushing cleans the surfaces of teeth, but flossing removes food and plaque from between them, where a brush cannot reach; this helps stop tooth decay and gum disease. Dentists say floss once a day, gently, using a clean piece of floss for each gap. Phrases: "dental floss", "floss your teeth", "a piece of floss", "candy floss", "do the floss".

### Examples

- Floss between your teeth before bed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#x1)
- The dentist showed me how to floss gently. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#x2)
- I need a new box of dental floss. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#x3)
- Flossing helps keep your gums healthy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#x4)
- My gums bled a little when I first started to floss. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#x5)
- We bought candy floss at the fair. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#x6)
- Everyone did the floss dance at the party. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#x7)
- Use a fresh piece of floss for each gap. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/#x8)

### Note

As a material, "floss" is uncountable: "a piece of floss", not "a floss". Regular verb: flossed, flossing (double s). A little bleeding when you start flossing is common, but tell an adult if it goes on. Candy floss (UK, Ireland, Australia: "fairy floss" in Australia) = cotton candy (USA, Canada); it is mostly sugar, bad for teeth.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «floss» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/floss/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«floss» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/floss.html) on Mova free.