Meaning & use
fibreglass
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Meanings
noununcountable
A strong light material made from very thin threads of glass, used to make boats, car bodies and insulation.
Grammar: Uncountable: no plural and no 'a' before it — say 'made of fibreglass'.
Patterns
- made of fibreglass
- a fibreglass boat
- fibreglass insulation
The canoe is made of fibreglass, so it is light enough to carry alone.
They covered the roof with fibreglass insulation to keep the house warm.
A crack in the fibreglass let water into the hull.
noununcountabletechnical
The fine glass threads themselves, used to reinforce plastics and other materials.
Grammar: Also uncountable when it means the raw threads rather than the finished material.
Patterns
- glass fibre
- fibreglass strands
- reinforced with fibreglass
The panels are reinforced with fibreglass to stop them bending.
Workers wear masks when cutting fibreglass because the tiny threads irritate the skin.
Fibreglass is spun from molten glass through very small holes.
Common combinations
- made of fibreglass
- The little dinghy is made of fibreglass.
- fibreglass boat
- He keeps his fibreglass boat at the marina.
- fibreglass insulation
- Fibreglass insulation is cheap but itches if you touch it.
- reinforced with fibreglass
- The hull is reinforced with fibreglass for extra strength.
- a sheet of fibreglass
- Cut a sheet of fibreglass to fit the opening.
Synonyms and how they differ
- glass fibre
- The British spelling of the raw thread form; it is used more in technical writing than in everyday speech.
- GRP
- Short for glass-reinforced plastic, a technical term for the finished composite rather than the material itself.
- composite
- A wider term for any material made of two combined substances, of which fibreglass is only one example.
Word family
- fiberglass noun
- The American spelling of the same material.
- fibreglassed adjective
- Covered or made with fibreglass, as in a fibreglassed roof.
Commonly confused: fibreglass or fiberglass? fibreglass or plexiglass?
fibreglass vs fiberglass
This is simply the American spelling; use fibreglass in British writing and fiberglass in American writing.
fibreglass vs plexiglass
A clear plastic often used for windows; fibreglass is opaque, stronger and made from glass threads.
Practice
The kayak is light because it is made ___ fibreglass.
Choose one answer.
'Made of' names the material something consists of, which fits here. 'Made from' is also possible for materials that are changed by processing, but 'made of fibreglass' is the usual choice for a solid object; 'made with' would suggest fibreglass is only one added ingredient, and 'made by' introduces a person or process.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fibreglass”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.