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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Other Word Forms

• tenter
  noun
• tented
  adjective
• 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

Explanation

A tent is a temporary shelter made out of heavy material such as canvas. When you go camping, you might sleep in a camper, a rustic cabin, or a tent. Tents can be lightweight enough to be carried by a hiker for miles, or much heavier and more cumbersome. As a verb, tent means either "stay in a tent" or "cover, as you do with a tent." So you might tent your head with a blanket to keep your crazy cat from attacking you, or tent a pie with aluminum foil to keep the crust from burning. Tent comes from a Latin root, tentus, meaning "stretched."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tent

The family had fled their home in Gaza City soon after the war began, crammed into a tent in the enclave’s south.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

In the shadow of the EU Parliament in Brussels, under a grand white tent filling a museum garden, hundreds of lobbyists, officials and lawmakers hobnob as the cava flows.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

While a handful of moderate dissidents are tacitly tolerated as a matter of expedience, most other heretics have been driven from the tent.

From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2026

Christian Schottenhamel, whose family has operated Oktoberfest’s oldest tent since 1867, asked in a May Instagram video.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

I would fix the tent and arrange my sleeping bag and pad and then put the dogs around me in a circle just outside the firelight.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• canvas
• pavilion