Used in a Sentence

surfactant

Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for surfactant.

Editorial note

The soap is a surfactant to make the vinegar stick to the weed leaves for longer.

Examples14
Definitions2
Parts of speech1

Quick take

(biochemistry) A lipoprotein in the tissues of the lung that reduces surface tension and permits more efficient gas transport.

Meaning at a glance

The clearest senses and uses of surfactant gathered in one view.

noun

(biochemistry) A lipoprotein in the tissues of the lung that reduces surface tension and permits more efficient gas transport.

noun

(chemistry) A surface-active agent, or wetting agent, capable of reducing the surface tension of a liquid; typically organic compounds having a hydrophilic “head” and a hydrophobic “tail”.

Definitions

Core meanings and parts of speech for surfactant.

noun

(biochemistry) A lipoprotein in the tissues of the lung that reduces surface tension and permits more efficient gas transport.

noun

(chemistry) A surface-active agent, or wetting agent, capable of reducing the surface tension of a liquid; typically organic compounds having a hydrophilic “head” and a hydrophobic “tail”.

Example sentences

1

The soap is a surfactant to make the vinegar stick to the weed leaves for longer.

2

The surfactant that is added to the formulations is more dangerous than glyphosate itself.

3

And I don't mind drying a handful of dishes if the alternative is to lace them all with surfactant.

4

This surfactant, diethanolamine, may also prevent the healthy function of lipids in the mitochondrial membrane, namely Omega 3.

5

Soap, as a surfactant, combined with mechanical rubbing against your skin will remove dead skin and bacteria.

6

First, you only need a few grams of a good surfactant to strip a lot of oil.

7

There’s a surfactant in Roundup that’s nastier than glyphosate and may be causing a lot of problems.

8

Roundup is always glyphosate plus surfactants, in fact the water/surfactant mix will typically be the majority of the bottle.

9

Use a good surfactant and soften the water, or use distilled water in the tumbler, and rinse with the same.

10

You can use ammonium sulfate as a surfactant to cut through English ivy with glyphosate.

11

A recent new peptide antibiotic called Daptomycin [1] can't be used for pneumonia for example, because it is inhibited by pulmonary surfactant.

12

Detergent is a surfactant, it lifts bacteria/stains/dirt out of the material and then we wash them away.

Quote examples

1

Likewise for "surfactant", and a ton of other terms you see on this comment thread.

2

But "micelles" are just the structure that any surfactant forms in water, such as soap, dish detergent, or shampoo, once a certain critical concentration is reached, so "micellar water" is just water with detergent in it.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.

How do you use surfactant in a sentence?

The soap is a surfactant to make the vinegar stick to the weed leaves for longer.

What does surfactant mean?

(biochemistry) A lipoprotein in the tissues of the lung that reduces surface tension and permits more efficient gas transport.

What part of speech is surfactant?

surfactant is commonly used as noun.