tan
1to convert (a hide) into leather, especially by soaking or steeping in a bath prepared from tanbark or synthetically.
to make brown by exposure to ultraviolet rays, as of the sun.
to become tanned.
the brown color imparted to the skin by exposure to the sun or open air.
yellowish brown; light brown.
of the color of tan; yellowish-brown.
used in or relating to tanning processes, materials, etc.
Idioms about tan
tan someone's hide, Informal. to beat someone soundly: She threatened to tan our hides if she found us on her property again.
Origin of tan
1Other words from tan
- tan·na·ble, adjective
- un·tanned, adjective
- well-tanned, adjective
Other definitions for Tan (3 of 4)
Amy, born 1952, U.S. novelist.
Other definitions for TAN (4 of 4)
tax-anticipation note.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use tan in a sentence
As she began to question her choice of tan boots, a "serious yet good-looking guy" wandering around the restaurant caught her eye.
Date Lab update: Their boots matched, at least! Here’s what happened next. | Damona Hoffman | November 12, 2020 | Washington Posttan says the purpose of the initiative is to spread the benefits of the growing digital economy to more people as Singapore “upskills.”
CEO Anthony Tan says Grab is partnering with Microsoft to reskill drivers | eamonbarrett | October 27, 2020 | Fortunetan, who is tall and slim, talks at length about the use of hydroponics—replacing soil with a water-based solution in which sensors test electrical conductivity and painstakingly gauge the ratios between specific nutrients.
Inside Singapore’s huge bet on vertical farming | Katie McLean | October 13, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewEighteen months on, it is now tan’s only form of social media.
A new social-media platform wants to enforce “kindness.” Can that ever work? | Tanya Basu | October 7, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThe tan-wall option adds a touch of class to any gravel bike.
New Gravel Bike Accessories for a Smoother Ride | Josh Patterson | September 28, 2020 | Outside Online
Thousands of platinum-blonde manes brush against bare, perma-tanned backs moist with snow.
You go for your gold-digger lessons, then you go get waxed and tanned.
The men are smoking cigars, the women are tanned and bedecked.
Beirut Letter: In Lebanon, Fighting ISIS With Culture and Satire | Kim Ghattas | September 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBlack plastic sunglasses rest atop his buzzed hair, above a tanned face with sharp features.
A Shooting on a Tribal Land Uncovers Feds Running Wild | Caitlin Dickson | August 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Babe showed up, too, arriving late, as usual, and looking tanned as a lifeguard.
The Stacks: The Day Lou Gehrig Delivered Baseball’s Gettysburg Address | Ray Robinson | July 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe old man, grizzled, tanned and seamed, leant weakly against the parapet.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. LockeI would rather go to church with Dolly in homespun, than ride in a carriage beside that shrivelled piece of tanned leather.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieThe sun had long since tanned his skin to a rich bronze; there were scars on cheeks, forehead, hands.
God Wills It! | William Stearns DavisSurely not more than twenty years of age, of medium height, a peach complexion, tanned a little but fair to look at.
David Lannarck, Midget | George S. HarneyWhen it is tanned (says Dr. Grew) it is excessively hard, and thicker than the skin of any other terrestrial animal.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
British Dictionary definitions for tan (1 of 2)
/ (tæn) /
the brown colour produced by the skin after intensive exposure to ultraviolet rays, esp those of the sun
a light or moderate yellowish-brown colour
short for tanbark
to go brown or cause to go brown after exposure to ultraviolet rays: she tans easily
to convert (a skin or hide) into leather by treating it with a tanning agent, such as vegetable tannins, chromium salts, fish oils, or formaldehyde
(tr) slang to beat or flog
of the colour tan: tan gloves
used in or relating to tanning
Origin of tan
1Derived forms of tan
- tannable, adjective
- tannish, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for tan (2 of 2)
/ (tæn) /
tangent (sense 2)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for tan
Abbreviation of tangent
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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