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toothpaste

/ˌtuθˈpeɪst/
/ˈtuθpeɪst/
IPA guide

Other forms: toothpastes

Toothpaste is the stuff you put on your toothbrush to clean your teeth. Toothpaste polishes your teeth, freshens your breath, and makes you altogether more pleasant to be around.

Most toothpaste is a thick paste or gel, a type of dentifrice, or cleaning agent for teeth. Humans have used some version of toothpaste since at least 5000 BCE, when the ancient Egyptians cleaned their teeth with a mixture of crushed eggshells, pumice, and burnt ox hooves. Today's toothpaste is more likely to contain ingredients like fluoride, baking soda, and mint flavoring.

Definitions of toothpaste
  1. noun
    a dentifrice in the form of a paste
    see moresee less
    type of:
    dentifrice
    a substance for cleaning the teeth; applied with a toothbrush
Pronunciation
US
/ˌtuθˈpeɪst/
UK
/ˈtuθpeɪst/
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