Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

tarp

American  
[tahrp] / tɑrp /

noun

  1. tarpaulin.

TARP 1 British  
/ tɑːp /

acronym

  1. Troubled Assets Relief Program: a fund providing money to increase the liquidity of financial institutions

"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
tarp 2 British  
/ tɑːp /

noun

  1. an informal word for tarpaulin

"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

Etymology

Origin of tarp

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; by shortening

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.

A memorial that has sprung up in front of the bar, loaded with flowers, candles and messages of grief and support, was covered in an igloo-like tarp Thursday to protect it from the heavy snowfall.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

Uphill from the swollen Wenatchee River, 62-year-old Lisa Hart sat in her recently deceased parents’ kitchen, watching friends drape a tarp over the roof.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

Every few seconds, he curled up inside, then climbed back out to wrestle with the flapping tarp.

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2025

South Gate wants to play its semifinal playoff game on Saturday so badly at home that it’s broken out a tarp so the City Section officials can’t deem it unplayable after expected rain Thursday night.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025

Then they went on, holding the tarp over them in the dull drizzle.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

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.