polyethylene
noun
poly·eth·yl·ene
| \ ˌpä-lē-ˈe-thə-ˌlēn
\
\
Definition of polyethylene
: a polymer of ethylene
especially
: any of various partially crystalline lightweight thermoplastics (CH2CH2)x that are resistant to chemicals and moisture, have good insulating properties, and are used especially in packaging and insulation
Examples of polyethylene in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The artificial playing surface is 2 1/2 inches and is comprised of polyethylene-blend fiber. — Chris Tomasson, Twin Cities, "Will Vikings’ Dalvin Cook again sit out a preseason game on new turf? Mike Zimmer isn’t saying," 15 Aug. 2019 The factory still imports from Israel sacks of polypropylene and low-density polyethylene plastic pellets to turn into nylon and trash bags. — Heidi Levine, National Geographic, "Plastics in the Gaza Strip are both a curse and a blessing," 7 Aug. 2019 Credit: Mehmet Kanik and Sirma Orguc, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Her team’s new artificial muscle contains a high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the same sort of plastic used to make recyclable bottles. — Sid Perkins, Scientific American, "A New Twist on Artificial Muscles," 11 July 2019 That includes staying at least 6 feet from wildlife, sticking to the paths and, more recently, refraining from bringing single-use plastics and polyethylene food containers. — Heidi Chang, Los Angeles Times, "In danger of being overrun, some places are trying to manage tourism. Here’s how," 10 Aug. 2019 The wells are also yielding vast amounts of gas liquids, especially ethane, the basic feedstock for producing ethylene and polyethylene, which are used to manufacture plastic. — Keith Schneider, ProPublica, "West Virginia Bets Big on Plastics, and on Backing of Trump Administration," 31 July 2019 Yoga Design Lab uses bales of plastic bottle waste made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) that have been supplied by recycling collectors and then eventually (after a mind-numbing number of steps) transformed into mats. — Mary Billard, Los Angeles Times, "Is your yoga mat bad for the environment?," 19 July 2019 These fibers, which often include lightweight polymers such as nylon or high-density polyethylene, can be more powerful, based on their weight, than human muscles. — Sid Perkins, Scientific American, "A New Twist on Artificial Muscles," 11 July 2019 This 2013 patent is for a polyethylene sleeve that would contain such explosions. — Emily Matchar, Smithsonian, "Seven Inventions For a Safer Fourth of July," 3 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'polyethylene.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for polyethylene
polyethylene
noun
English Language Learners Definition of polyethylene
US
: a light and strong plastic that is used mainly in sheets for packaging
See the full definition for polyethylene in the English Language Learners Dictionary
polyethylene
noun
poly·eth·yl·ene
| \ ˌpäl-ē-ˈeth-ə-ˌlēn
\
\
Medical Definition of polyethylene
: a polymer of ethylene
especially
: any of various lightweight thermoplastics (CH2CH2)x that are resistant to chemicals and moisture and are used especially in packaging, insulation, surgical implants, prostheses, and tubing