tooth-paste

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A paste for cleaning teeth: "tooth-paste" is a semi-solid substance used with a toothbrush to clean and maintain the health of teeth and gums. It typically contains abrasives, fluoride, and flavoring agents.

Usage Examples

• (The paste used for daily oral hygiene.)
• (A specific type of cleaning paste for dental care.)

Advanced Usage

• "tooth-paste tube": a container from which tooth-paste is dispensed.

  • He squeezed the last bit of tooth-paste from the tube. (The tube holding the paste.)

• "tooth-paste cap": the screw-on or flip-top lid of a tooth-paste tube.

  • She forgot to put the tooth-paste cap back on, and the paste dried out. (The cover of the tube.)

Variants and Related Words

• Toothpaste (n): a common alternative spelling without the hyphen, meaning the same product.
  • I need to buy a new tube of toothpaste. (The same cleaning paste.)
• Toothbrush (n): a brush used with tooth-paste for cleaning teeth.
  • He cleaned his toothbrush after applying tooth-paste. (The tool used with the paste.)

Synonyms

• Dentifrice: a formal or technical term for a substance used for cleaning teeth.
  • The dentist recommended a fluoride dentifrice. (A synonym for tooth-paste.)

Related Idioms

• "Tooth-paste is out of the tube": an informal idiom meaning a situation cannot be reversed or undone (often used humorously).
  • Once you tell her the secret, the tooth-paste is out of the tube. (The information cannot be taken back.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Squeeze out (tooth-paste): to press a tube to extract the paste.
  • He squeezed out a pea-sized amount of tooth-paste. (To force the paste out of the container.)

Additional Notes

• "Tooth-paste" is a compound noun formed from "tooth" and "paste." It is typically used as a mass noun (uncountable) in everyday speech.