1 [U] a substance made of LIME, water and sand, that is put on walls and ceilings to give them a smooth hard surface:
an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof
2 (also less frequent plaster of Paris) [U] a white powder that is mixed with water and becomes very hard when it dries, used especially for making copies of statues or holding broken bones in place:
a plaster bust of Julius Caesar * (BrE) She broke her leg a month ago and it's still in plaster.
3 (also sticking plaster) (both BrE) (also Band-Aid AmE, BrE) [C,U] material that can be stuck to the skin to protect a small wound or cut; a piece of this
verb [VN]
1 to cover a wall, etc. with plaster:
The walls need plastering before we can start decorating.
2 ~ sb/sth in / with sth to cover sb/sth with a wet or sticky substance:
She plastered herself in suntan lotion. * We were plastered from head to foot with mud.
3 [+adv./prep.] to make your hair flat and stick to your head:
His wet hair was plastered to his head.
4 [+adv./prep.] to completely cover a surface with pictures or POSTERS:
She had plastered her bedroom wall with photos of him. * She had photos of him plastered all over her bedroom wall. * The next day their picture was plastered all over the newspapers.
PHRASALVERBS
plaster over sth to cover sth such as a crack or an old wall with plaster:
The original brickwork has been plastered over.
