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View synonyms for tab

tab

1

[ tab ]

noun

  1. a small flap, strap, loop, or similar appendage, as on a garment, used for pulling, hanging, or decoration.
  2. a tag or label.
  3. a small projection from a card, paper, or folder, used as an aid in filing.
  4. Informal.
    1. a bill, as for a meal in a restaurant; check:

      That dinner went way over my budget, so I was relieved when she offered to pick up the tab.

    2. a list of accruing costs, as drinks ordered in a bar: .

      Go ahead and order another round of beers—we’ve got a running tab

  5. a small piece attached or intended to be attached, as to an automobile license plate.
  6. a small flap or tongue of material used to seal or close the opening of a container.
  7. Also called tabulator,. a key on a typewriter that moves the carriage, typing element, etc., a predetermined number of spaces, used for typing text in columns, for fixed indentations, etc.
  8. Also called tab key. a key on a computer keyboard that moves the cursor a predetermined number of spaces, used for keying text in columns or form fields, for fixed indentations, etc.
  9. Digital Technology.
    1. (in a web browser window or in a spreadsheet or other application) a page displayed by clicking on or selecting a user interface element that resembles a paper tab:

      The third tab in the spreadsheet list expenses.

    2. the display of this user interface element:

      I have too many tabs open in my browser right now.

  10. Theater.
    1. a small, often narrow, drop curtain, for masking part of the stage.
  11. Aeronautics. a small airfoil hinged to the rear portion of a control surface, as to an elevator, aileron, or rudder. Compare trim tab.


verb (used with object)

, tabbed, tab·bing.
  1. to furnish or ornament with a tab or tabs.
  2. to name or designate.

verb (used without object)

, tabbed, tab·bing.
  1. to operate the tab function on a typewriter or computer.

tab

2

[ tab ]

noun

  1. Slang. a tablet, as of a drug or medication.
  2. Informal. tabloid ( def 1 ).

tab.

3

abbreviation for

  1. tables.
  2. (in prescriptions) tablet.

TAB

1

abbreviation for

  1. typhoid-paratyphoid A and B (vaccine)
  2. Totalizator Agency Board
“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


tab.

2

abbreviation for

  1. table (list or chart)
“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

tab

3

/ tæb /

noun

  1. short for tabulator tablet
  2. slang.
    a portion of a drug, esp LSD or ecstasy
“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

tab

4

/ tæb /

noun

  1. a small flap of material, esp one on a garment for decoration or for fastening to a button
  2. any similar flap, such as a piece of paper attached to a file for identification
  3. a small auxiliary aerofoil on the trailing edge of a rudder, aileron, or elevator, etc, to assist in the control of the aircraft in flight See also trim tab
  4. military the insignia on the collar of a staff officer
  5. a bill, esp one for a meal or drinks
  6. dialect.
    a cigarette
  7. keep tabs on informal.
    to keep a watchful eye on
“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

verb

  1. tr to supply (files, clothing, etc) with a tab or tabs
“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tab1

First recorded in 1600–10; most senses of unknown origin; tab 1indef 7 short for tabulator; tab 1indef 10 short for tableau; tab 1indefs 4, 15 short for table

Origin of tab2

First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening

Origin of tab3

From the Latin word tabella
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tab1

C17: of unknown origin
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. keep tabs / tab on, Informal. to keep an account of; check on; observe:

    The police kept tabs on the suspect's activities.

More idioms and phrases containing tab

see keep tabs on .
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Example Sentences

That victory for the tab became a bargaining chip in all future dealings with the superstar.

Runaway corporations benefited from those policies but want U.S. companies to pay their share of the tab.

They started the tab; as a country, we have simply, and certainly, continued it.

Place your order and you are given a little tab of paper with the price marked on it.

Critics run that tab as high as $4 billion, calculating the lost tax revenues over 40 years.

He had his key ready in his hand, terra cotta-hued tab swinging loose.

Short hard radiation emitted from the tab neutralized the claws, put them out of commission.

Radiation tabs protected the UN troops, but if a man lost his tab he was fair game for the claws, no matter what his uniform.

In two little hours we came to Antab (An-tab), having crossed the Sejour at a bridge about three quarters of an hour before.

It was a sedan with a neat little drive-yourself tab on the right-hand door.

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Related Words

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.

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