tarp
noun
tarp
American
[tahrp]
/ tɑrp /
noun
tarps
plural
TARP
1
British
/ tɑːp /
acronym
tarp
2
British
/ tɑːp /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tarp
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; by shortening
Explanation
A tarp is a piece of cloth that's usually waterproof canvas. When you're camping, it's a good idea to put a tarp on the damp ground before you set up your tent. Since 1906, the word tarp has been a common shorthand for tarpaulin. Today tarps are just as likely to be made from vinyl or polyethylene, but they were once uniformly heavy canvas that had been treated with tar to make it water resistant. Tarps are used for yard work, to cover furniture while a room is being painted, or to cover the bed of a truck, among many other uses.
Vocabulary lists containing tarp
Pride
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My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich
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Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World
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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 plane used by Chemezov, for example, was first registered in Bermuda and managed by Avcon before being re-registered in Russia by a company called Tarp Aviation, according to documents in the database.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Tarp didn’t respond to a request for comment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
That truncated time frame has given us our own set of PNW stereotypes, like the “Blue Tarp Camper” huddling from the rain in a spot-on Pemco ad.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2023
“The production on the court is fun to see,” Tarp said.
From Washington Post • Dec. 13, 2022
"What on earth did you do, Brother Tarp?"
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
