Meaning & use
Pyrex
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountabletrademark
A strong type of glass that resists heat, used for oven dishes and laboratory containers.
Grammar: Usually uncountable and written with a capital P as a brand name; use it before another noun, as in 'a Pyrex dish'.
Patterns
- a Pyrex dish
- Pyrex glass
- made of Pyrex
She poured the batter into a Pyrex dish and put it in the oven.
Pyrex can go straight from the fridge to a hot oven without cracking.
The lab stores its samples in small Pyrex bottles.
nouncountabletrademarkinformal
A dish or container made of this heat-resistant glass.
Grammar: Countable when it means the actual dish: one Pyrex, two Pyrexes.
Patterns
- a Pyrex
- cover the Pyrex
Cover the Pyrex with foil before baking.
I dropped a Pyrex and it shattered on the kitchen floor.
Word forms
| plural | Pyrexes |
|---|
Common combinations
- a Pyrex dish
- Grease a Pyrex dish before adding the mixture.
- Pyrex glass
- Pyrex glass handles sudden temperature changes well.
- a Pyrex measuring cup
- Melt the butter in a Pyrex measuring cup.
- oven-safe Pyrex
- Make sure the container is oven-safe Pyrex.
Synonyms and how they differ
- borosilicate glass
- The technical name for the same heat-resistant material; use it in science writing rather than in the kitchen.
- baking dish
- Names the container, not the material, so it fits when you mean any oven dish, glass or not.
Commonly confused: Pyrex or pyre?
Pyrex vs pyre
A pyre is a pile of wood for burning a body; Pyrex is the glass brand, and the two sound similar but are unrelated.
Practice
Which sentence uses Pyrex correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A Pyrex dish' is the normal pattern, with the brand name before the noun. 'Pyre' is a funeral fire, and 'Pyrexes' is only a plural noun, so neither can modify 'dish'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Pyrex”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.