1
: a medicated or protective dressing that consists of a film (as of cloth or plastic) spread with a usually medicated substance
adhesive plaster
broadly
: something applied to heal and soothe
2
: a pasty composition (as of lime, water, and sand) that hardens on drying and is used for coating walls, ceilings, and partitions
plastered; plastering
ˈpla-st(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to overlay or cover with plaster : coat
2
: to apply a plaster to
3
a
: to cover over or conceal as if with a coat of plaster
b
: to apply as a coating or incrustation
c
: to smooth down with a sticky or shiny substance
plastered his hair down
4
: to fasten or apply tightly to another surface
5
: to treat with plaster of paris
6
: to affix to or place on especially conspicuously or in quantity
7
: to inflict heavy damage or loss on especially by a concentrated or unremitting attack
: to apply plaster
Examples of plaster in a Sentence
Noun
put a plaster on the burn and don't touch it
Verb
We plastered and sanded the walls before painting them.
They plastered the walls with posters.
Someone had plastered a political poster on the wall.
His clothes were plastered to his body from the rain.
He plastered his hair down with gel.
Recent Examples on the Web
ArsTechnica, 18 May 2026
But his are made from plaster, rather than 18-carat gold.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
George Caulkin, New York Times, 16 May 2026
His face has been plastered alongside George Washington’s on National Park Service entrance cards, hung beside Abraham Lincoln’s on a banner in the nation’s capital, and added to special-edition passports.
—Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for plaster
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Noun
In the 19th century, an archaeologist named Giuseppe Fiorelli figured out how to make casts of those frozen bodies by pouring liquid plaster into the voids where the soft tissue had been.
—ArsTechnica, 18 May 2026
But his are made from plaster, rather than 18-carat gold.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
Verb
Now 35, Trippier is leaving at the end of the season; Sunday’s fixture against West Ham United will be his final home game as a Newcastle player, and the East Stand at St James’ Park will be plastered with banners in his honour.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 16 May 2026
His face has been plastered alongside George Washington’s on National Park Service entrance cards, hung beside Abraham Lincoln’s on a banner in the nation’s capital, and added to special-edition passports.
—Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for plaster
Cite this Entry
“Plaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaster. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plaster
1 of 2 noun
plas·ter
ˈplas-tər
1
: a medicated or protective dressing consisting of a film (as of cloth or plastic) spread with a substance that clings to the skin
adhesive plaster
2
: a paste (as of lime, water, and sand) that hardens on drying and is used for coating walls and ceilings
plaster
2 of 2 verb
plastered; plastering
-t(ə-)riŋ
1
: to apply a plaster to
2
: to cover over as if with a coat of plaster
3
: to smooth down with a sticky or shiny substance
plastered my hair down
4
: to fasten or apply tightly to another surface
wet clothes plastered to his body
5
: to affix to or place on especially in large numbers
plaster posters to a wall
6
: to apply plaster
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