How to Use surfactant in a Sentence

surfactant

noun
  • Luke says to try to avoid sulfates and surfactants for that reason.
    — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Look for enzymes or surfactants which are often used to help break down greasy residues.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 22 Apr. 2023
  • Look for products that contain enzymes or surfactants that can break down the stain.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 22 Apr. 2023
  • Its foaming texture comes from surfactants, which can be drying for non-oily skin.
    — Nicole Cain Nd, Ma, Health, 27 Apr. 2023
  • Those surfactants work by trapping dirt and removing it from the surface of the item.
    — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2024
  • Those surfactants work by trapping dirt and removing it from the surface of the item.
    — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Spray the leaves with water, which acts as a surfactant for the baking soda to adhere to.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 4 July 2026
  • The milk surfactants create varying points of resistance as the dye makes its way through the maze.
    — Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Each pack contains surfactants and a color-safe bleach to clean and remove carpet stains.
    — Carolyn Forté, Good Housekeeping, 15 Aug. 2023
  • Because curls tend to frizz and dry out, most of these shampoos avoid harsh detergents called surfactants.
    — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
  • To spread the mixture out, Zoll gently taps it with the tip of a pipette dipped in a surfactant—dish soap in this case.
    — Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 23 Mar. 2022
  • These tiny grease-cutters are packed with enzymes and surfactants that can cut through stubborn grime on your stovetop.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 30 Dec. 2025
  • Instead the smoothing came when the researchers added surfactants.
    — Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 26 Apr. 2023
  • Dish soap’s surfactants bind to grease and water, lifting grime without scrubbing.
    — Mallory Carra, The Spruce, 14 June 2026
  • Dish soap’s surfactants bind to grease and water, lifting grime without scrubbing.
    — Mallory Carra, The Spruce, 19 Feb. 2026
  • That surfactant strengthens the liquid film walls of the bubbles to keep them from collapsing.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 19 June 2019
  • Detergent works through surfactants — molecules that break up dirt and oil so water can rinse them away.
    — Ryan Brennan may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
  • The cleanser has an organic compound called surfactants.
    — Mallory Carra, The Spruce, 19 Feb. 2026
  • The cleanser has an organic compound called surfactants.
    — Mallory Carra, The Spruce, 14 June 2026
  • Water sucks at getting grease off, so Tide uses compounds called surfactants that mix well with both.
    — Chelsea Leu, WIRED, 27 May 2016
  • The alveoli collapse due to loss of surfactant from Type II cells.
    — Avesta Rastan, Discover Magazine, 9 June 2020
  • Wakayama turned out to be integral to the story of the breakthrough surfactant.
    — Kao Contributor, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022
  • That's because the soap acts as a surface active agent, or surfactant, and leaves behind a thin film that helps prevents fog.
    — Juliana Labianca, Good Housekeeping, 28 Apr. 2020
  • The scent was pleasant but faint, and the surfactant power was really lacking.
    — Wilder Davies, Bon Appétit, 18 Sep. 2024
  • Soap is a surfactant with a low surface tension, while water is a liquid with quite a high surface tension.
    — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 10 Nov. 2020
  • That's because the soap acts as a surface-active agent, or surfactant, and leaves behind a thin film that helps prevents fog.
    — Juliana Labianca, Good Housekeeping, 28 Apr. 2020
  • The star is glucoside, a mild surfactant that very gently dissolves makeup and daily grime.
    — Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 18 June 2024
  • The mixture includes sodium lauryl sulfate (a surfactant used in soaps) and malic acid (found in fruit).
    — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 12 Mar. 2023
  • That’s where surfactants — a key ingredient in soaps and detergents — come in.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
  • The product does not contain any nitrates, sulfates, phosphates, parabens, dyes, or surfactants.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 22 Apr. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surfactant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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