I. plas ‧ tic 1 S2 W2 /ˈplæstɪk/ BrE AmE noun
1 . [uncountable and countable] a light strong material that is produced by a chemical process, and which can be made into different shapes when it is soft:
children’s toys made of plastic
the plastics industry
2 . [uncountable] informal small plastic cards that are used to pay for things instead of money SYN credit cards :
‘I haven’t got any cash.’ ‘Don’t worry, I’ll stick it on the plastic (=pay for it using a credit card) .’
Do they take plastic? (=can you pay using a credit card?)
II. plastic 2 BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: plasticus 'of shaping' , from Greek plastikos , from plassein 'to shape, form, plaster' ]
1 . made of plastic:
a plastic spoon
plastic bags
2 . technical a plastic substance can be formed into many different shapes and keeps the shape it is formed into until someone changes it
3 . something that is plastic looks or tastes artificial or not natural:
plastic food
I hate that plastic smile of hers.