SPF

noun

the degree to which a sunscreen protects the skin from the direct rays of the sun

• Syn: ↑sun protection factor

• Hypernyms: ↑degree, ↑grade, ↑level

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\\ˌes(ˌ)pēˈef\ noun (-s)

: a number assigned to a sunscreen that is the factor by which the time required for unprotected skin to become sunburned is increased when the sunscreen is used — called also sun protection factor

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sun protection factor: the effectiveness of suntanning preparations in protecting the skin from the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet radiation, as rated on a scale of increasing protectiveness from 2 to 15 or sometimes higher.

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abbrev

Sun protection factor (of a sunscreen, lotion, etc)

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SPF UK [ˌes piː ˈef] US [ˌes pi ˈef] noun [singular]

sun protection factor: a measurement of the protection that a particular suntan lotion gives your skin from the sun

Thesaurus: sun tanning_hyponym

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SPF (no periods),

sun protection factor (a classification of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of the degree to which a sun block or sunscreen will protect the skin from sunburn): »

If you have a product with an SPF of 8, multiply 10 by 8 and you will know that you can safely stay in the sun 80 minutes without burning (New York Times Magazine).

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abbr. sun protection factor (indicating the effectiveness of protective skin preparations)

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/ˌɛsˌpiːˈɛf/ noun

: a number that indicates how well a cream, lotion, etc., protects your skin from the sun

[singular]

a sunscreen with an SPF of 15

[noncount]

a sunscreen with SPF 15

— called also sun protection factor

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SPF 7 [SPF] [ˌes piː ˈef] [ˌes piː ˈef] abbreviation

sun protection factor (a number that tells you how much protection a particular cream or liquid gives you from the harmful effects of the sun)