What does flossing mean?
Flossing is the practice of cleaning between the teeth with a thin strand of dental floss, dislodging food particles and plaque where a toothbrush cannot reach. Dentists widely recommend daily flossing alongside brushing as part of routine oral hygiene, and the word appears constantly in health advice, advertising, and everyday conversation about personal care. The term derives from 'floss', originally denoting a soft, silky fibre — the material early dental floss was made from. As a gerund or noun, flossing names the activity itself; as a present participle, it describes someone engaged in it ('he is flossing'). Since the late 2010s, the word has taken on an additional informal meaning: performing the 'floss' dance, a swinging arm movement popularized by video games and social media. Context makes the intended sense unmistakable, though the dental meaning remains dominant across all age groups.
The action or practice of cleaning between one's teeth using dental floss.
"Daily flossing significantly reduces the risk of gum disease."
Almost always used as an uncountable noun referring to the hygiene activity.
Present participle of 'floss': to clean between the teeth with dental floss.
"He was flossing at the sink when the phone rang."
The word traces back to 'floss silk' — raw silk fibres so soft they were named after tufts of wool, long before anyone thought to slide them between their teeth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flossing
Flossing derives from 'floss', a word borrowed from French 'floche' meaning a tuft or lock of fluffy fibres, ultimately traced to Latin 'floccus', a tuft of wool. The term originally referred to floss silk, raw silk filaments valued for their softness, and by the nineteenth century 'floss' was being used in English for fine, silky thread. When dentists began recommending silk thread for cleaning between the teeth, the material's trade name carried over into 'dental floss', and the verb 'to floss' followed naturally. English cognates sharing the floccus root include 'flocculent' and 'flocculation', both used in chemistry to describe woolly or clumped masses.
Related word forms
How flossing is actually used
In ordinary usage, flossing almost always refers to oral hygiene and is neutral in register, appearing freely in both medical and everyday contexts. When used for the dance move, it is distinctly informal and generational, common among younger speakers since around 2017; context usually makes which sense is meant immediately clear.
Easily confused with flossing
Glossing means adding brief explanatory notes or annotations to text, while flossing refers to cleaning between the teeth.
Flushing refers to rinsing or washing out (as with water), whereas flossing specifically means cleaning between the teeth with dental floss.