Meaning & use
flexible membrane
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabletechnicalspecialist
a thin layer of material that can bend easily and often controls what passes through it
Grammar: Countable: a flexible membrane, flexible membranes.
Patterns
- a flexible membrane around something
- a flexible membrane that allows something to pass
- a thin flexible membrane
The cell is surrounded by a flexible membrane that controls what enters and leaves.
Engineers used a flexible membrane to seal the joint without making it stiff.
nouncountabletechnicalspecialist
a bendable sheet used in devices such as speakers or sensors to respond to pressure or sound
Grammar: Countable and common in technical descriptions: a flexible membrane inside a device.
Patterns
- a flexible membrane inside something
- a flexible membrane that vibrates
- install a flexible membrane
The microphone has a flexible membrane that moves when sound hits it.
A flexible membrane in the pump changes shape as the pressure rises.
Word forms
| plural | flexible membranes |
|---|
Common combinations
- thin flexible membrane
- A thin flexible membrane covers the opening.
- semipermeable flexible membrane
- The semipermeable flexible membrane lets water through but not salt.
- flexible membrane around the cell
- The flexible membrane around the cell protects it from damage.
- flexible membrane that vibrates
- The speaker contains a flexible membrane that vibrates with the music.
Synonyms and how they differ
- film
- Film is a very thin layer, often not strong enough to control passage; a flexible membrane is usually stronger and more functional.
- sheet
- Sheet is a general word for a flat piece of material; a flexible membrane is specifically thin, bendable, and often selective.
- diaphragm
- Diaphragm is a technical word for a flexible membrane, especially one that separates two areas or vibrates in a device.
Opposites
Word family
- membrane noun
- a thin layer of material, often in a living thing or a device
- flexibility noun
- the ability to bend easily without breaking
- flexible adjective
- able to bend or change easily
Commonly confused: flexible membrane or mucous membrane?
flexible membrane vs mucous membrane
A mucous membrane is a specific living tissue that lines body openings; a flexible membrane is any bendable thin layer, not necessarily living.
Practice
Which sentence uses flexible membrane correctly?
Choose one answer.
Flexible membrane is a noun phrase for a bendable thin layer, so 'The flexible membrane in the speaker moves' fits. The other options use it as a verb, a living creature, or an adjective, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flexible membrane”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.