sunscreens

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of sunscreen.

   The pharmacy stocks dozens of sunscreens in varying strengths.

   Mineral sunscreens often leave a faint white film on the skin.

   Note

   The plural belongs to the countable use of the noun, where each sunscreen is a separate product or formula. When it is spread on skin, sunscreen is usually a mass noun: you put on sunscreen, not sunscreens. The plural appears when products are compared or counted, as in mineral sunscreens or two sunscreens of different strengths. The same spelling also serves the verb's present form, and the surrounding words show which one is meant.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of sunscreen.

   The lifeguard sunscreens her shoulders thoroughly before each long shift.

   The camp counselor sunscreens every child before the afternoon swim.

   Note

   The -s form of a transitive verb, so it needs an object: the person or body part being protected. She sunscreens the children; he sunscreens his neck. When the subjects protect themselves, English supplies a reflexive rather than dropping the object, as in she sunscreens herself before every swim. The bare verb would leave the reader asking whom she is protecting.

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