tinfoil

noun

tin·​foil ˈtin-ˌfȯi(-ə)l How to pronounce tinfoil (audio)
: a paper-thin metal sheeting usually of aluminum or tin-lead alloy

Examples of tinfoil in a Sentence

Wrap the leftover food in tinfoil.
Recent Examples on the Web The cat chases after the tinfoil ball and retrieves it back to the owner both times, carrying it in its mouth. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Dec. 2023 Tent your loaf with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the tinfoil tent. Michelle Konstantinovsky, SELF, 27 Nov. 2023 The city’s streets were mostly quiet, with residents who hadn’t already left waiting for instructions and businesses closed down, save for a few restaurants supplying recently arrived soldiers with schnitzel, fish and pasta in tinfoil trays. WSJ, 21 Oct. 2023 Within months of the measure taking effect in February 2021, open-air drug use, long in the shadows, burst into full view, with people sitting in circles in parks or leaning against street signs, smoking fentanyl crushed on tinfoil. Jordan Gale Jan Hoffman, New York Times, 31 July 2023 As the driver got out of the truck, a small piece of tinfoil fell off him. cleveland, 6 Jan. 2023 If this all feels too much like a tinfoil hat even for college football’s sickest of the sick puppies constantly rooting for chaos in a broken system, then just know that various levels of insanity have always surrounded UAB football. Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 8 Aug. 2023 Meta’s step to make its algorithm more transparent, something both TikTok and Twitter have attempted, will hopefully dispel some of the tinfoil hat theories users might have about it. Kylie Robison, Fortune, 1 July 2023 Female shop mannequins have been beheaded or their heads wrapped in tinfoil. Christina Goldbaum, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tinfoil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tinfoil was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near tinfoil

Cite this Entry

“Tinfoil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tinfoil. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tinfoil

noun
tin·​foil ˈtin-ˌfȯil How to pronounce tinfoil (audio)
: a thin metal sheeting usually of aluminum or an alloy of tin and lead

More from Merriam-Webster on tinfoil

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!