tent

¹ American  

[tent] / tɛnt /

noun

1. a portable shelter of skins, canvas, plastic, or the like, supported by one or more poles or a frame and often secured by ropes fastened to pegs in the ground.

2. something that resembles a tent.

3. tent dress.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to lodge in tents.

2. to cover with or as if with a tent.

   In winter the tennis courts are tented in plastic.

verb (used without object)

1. to live in a tent; encamp.

tent ² American  

[tent] / tɛnt /

noun

1. a roll or pledget, usually of soft absorbent material, as lint or gauze, for dilating an orifice, keeping a wound open, etc.

2. a probe.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to keep (a wound) open with a tent.

tent ³ American  

[tent] / tɛnt /

verb (used with object)

Chiefly Scot.

1. to give or pay attention to; heed.

---

tent ¹ British  

/ tɛnt /

noun

1. 1. a portable shelter of canvas, plastic, or other waterproof material supported on poles and fastened to the ground by pegs and ropes

   2. ( as modifier )

      tent peg

2. something resembling this in function or shape

---

verb

1. (intr) to camp in a tent

2. (tr) to cover with or as if with a tent or tents

3. (tr) to provide with a tent as shelter

tent ² British  

/ tɛnt /

noun

1. heed; attention

---

verb

1. to pay attention to; take notice of

2. to attend to

tent ³ British  

/ tɛnt /

noun

1. a plug of soft material for insertion into a bodily canal, etc, to dilate it or maintain its patency

---

verb

1. (tr) to insert such a plug into (a bodily canal, etc)

tent ⁴ British  

/ tɛnt /

noun

1. obsolete  a red table wine from Alicante, Spain

---

Other Word Forms

• tented adjective
• tenter noun
• tentless adjective
• tentlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of tent¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English tente, from Old French, from Latin tenta, feminine of tentus, past participle of tendere “to extend, stretch”

Origin of tent²

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English tent(e), teint(e) “a probe,” from Middle French tente “a probe, roll of lint,” noun derivative of tenter, from Latin tentāre, variant of temptāre tempt

Origin of tent³

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, tente(n), “to plan, intend, look after,” derivative of tent(e) “attention,” shortening of attent, past participle of attenden “to pay attention to, heed,” from Old French atente “attention, intention,” from Latin attenta, feminine of attentus, past participle of attendere to attend

Example Sentences

By Sunday evening, the donation booths were gone, replaced by police command tents.

From The Wall Street Journal

He was trying to register his family for a tent.

From BBC

The iPhone Clean Up tool did OK with the grass, but couldn’t make heads or tails of the tents in the background.

From The Wall Street Journal

Granted permission to take the bottle, he grabbed it, rose from his seat and walked out the back of the interview tent, the offseason finally having arrived.

From Los Angeles Times

Clune Construction, a Chicago-based general contractor, said it is trying to ensure workers have access to the same creature comforts as white-collar workers, including heated and air-conditioned break tents and perks like periodic free lunches.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• canvas
• pavilion