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.
The morning air is sharp with the tang of burning wood, rubber, paint, sugar— whatever was in those warehouses along the river.
From Literature
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It smells good in here—like baking bread and the sweet, earthy tang of tea.
From Literature
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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
There’s tang: a gorgeous goat cheese or a Vermont Invierno, all bright edges and creamy center.
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.