What does drywall mean?
Drywall is a construction material consisting of rigid panels made from gypsum plaster sandwiched between two sheets of thick paper or fibreglass matting. It revolutionized interior building by replacing slow, labour-intensive wet plaster with panels that can be screwed directly to wall studs and ceiling joists, then taped, jointed, sanded, and painted — often within a single day. The term dominates in North America, where 'drywall' refers both to the raw panels and, colloquially, to the finished interior wall surface itself; British and Commonwealth speakers typically say 'plasterboard' instead. Related vocabulary reflects its central role in building trades: workers 'hang' drywall, fasten it with specialized drywall screws, and smooth its joints with drywall compound before finishing. Because it is affordable, quick to install, and easy to repair, drywall has become the default interior finish in modern residential and commercial construction worldwide.
nounA building material consisting of large flat panels made of gypsum plaster pressed between two sheets of heavy paper, used to form the interior walls and ceilings of buildings. Also called plasterboard (British English) or drywalling when referring to the material or trade collectively.
- Gypsum panels used for interior walls and ceilings.
- Informally, the finished wall surface itself ('punch a hole in the drywall').
"The contractors hung the drywall in the new addition before the painters arrived."
"They finished taping and mudding the drywell seams before the weekend."
"He accidentally put his fist through the drywall while moving the couch."
Usually uncountable when referring to the material as a substance; plural form appears mainly when counting individual panels or referring to multiple distinct wall surfaces.
"They hauled two dozen drywalls up the scaffold before lunch."
Before drywall, builders had to wait days for wet plaster coats to cure — this humble sandwich of gypsum and paper let a house go from studs to paintable walls in a single day.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of drywall
The word is a transparent English compound of 'dry' and 'wall', coined in early twentieth-century North America to distinguish the new panel system from traditional wet plasterwork that required days of drying time between coats. It emerged alongside the commercialization of Sackett Board and later Sheetrock, the US Gypsum Company's brand name that became genericized in American speech. Its British counterpart 'plasterboard' follows an older naming pattern centred on the plaster core rather than the installation method.
How drywall is actually used
Predominantly North American usage; in the UK and much of the Commonwealth, 'plasterboard' is the standard term. 'Sheetrock' is a trademarked brand name often used generically in the US. The verb 'to drywall' (meaning to install such panels) also exists informally among tradespeople.
Easily confused with drywall
Plasterboard is the British term for essentially the same gypsum-panel material, while 'drywall' is the dominant North American term; neither refers to traditional wet plaster applied on site.