noun

• 1Trademark A tough synthetic resin made by polymerizing tetrafluoroethylene, chiefly used to coat non-stick cooking utensils and to make seals and bearings.

  Also called polytetrafluoroethylene

  ‘Both feature 10-ounce cotton canvas with a water-repellant Teflon coating and 100 percent polyester blaze overlay.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘A mix of trendy and traditional styles is available and the entire range is made from machine washable, minimum-iron fabrics with many featuring tough Teflon coating.’
  • ‘The Teflon coats the threads but doesn't block the pores or gaps between threads.’
  • ‘Modern aluminium pans have a non-stick interior coating of Teflon or some tougher composite material.’
  • ‘Polytetrafluoroethylene is the basis of the non-stick coating Teflon, as well as the breathable waterproof fabric Goretex.’

  1. 1.1as modifier Denoting someone whose reputation remains undamaged in spite of scandal or misjudgement.
     ‘acquittal earned him the nickname ‘the Teflon Don’’
     More example sentences

     • ‘He's a Teflon man but then nobody ever said Teflon men didn't get the job done.’
     • ‘He was the man of steel, Teflon man, untouchable and unbeatable.’
     • ‘He was rightly known as the Teflon president: because he made people feel good, they willingly ignored the scandals of his administration.’
     • ‘As a pitching coach, though, he is the sacred cow of the Yankees organization, the Teflon man to whom no failure sticks.’
     • ‘Since then, however, he has become increasingly embroiled in a series of predicaments that have eroded his authority, his Teflon image and, most importantly, his reputation as a winner.’