tang
1 Americannoun
-
a strong taste or flavor.
- Synonyms:
- savor
-
the distinctive flavor or quality of a thing.
-
a pungent or distinctive odor.
-
a touch or suggestion of something; slight trace.
-
a long and slender projecting strip, tongue, or prong forming part of an object, as a chisel, file, or knife, and serving as a means of attachment for another part, as a handle or stock.
-
a surgeonfish.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb (used with or without object)
noun
noun
-
a strong taste or flavour
the tang of the sea
-
a pungent or characteristic smell
the tang of peat fires
-
a trace, touch, or hint of something
a tang of cloves in the apple pie
-
the pointed end of a tool, such as a chisel, file, knife, etc, which is fitted into a handle, shaft, or stock
noun
Etymology
Origin of tang1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English tange “tongue of a snake, projection on a tool,” perhaps from Old Norse tangi “projection, headland, tang of a blade”
Origin of tang2
First recorded in 1660–70; imitative; ting 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That evening I ate grilled fish for supper, tender and delicious with the smoky tang of the open fire, and it brought back the happiest times of my life.
From Literature
![]()
The morning air is sharp with the tang of burning wood, rubber, paint, sugar— whatever was in those warehouses along the river.
From Literature
![]()
It smells good in here—like baking bread and the sweet, earthy tang of tea.
From Literature
![]()
Davidson apparently had other words to herald the arrival of his first child: “Wu tang forever.”
From Los Angeles Times
It’s the kind of soup that tastes like summer condensed into a bowl—umami-rich, lightly sweet, with a briny tang from feta cubes that cut through the richness without stealing the spotlight.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.