tar
1any of various dark-colored viscid products obtained by the destructive distillation of certain organic substances, as coal or wood.
coal-tar pitch.
smoke solids or components: cigarette tar.
to smear or cover with or as if with tar.
of or characteristic of tar.
covered or smeared with tar; tarred.
Idioms about tar
beat / knock / whale the tar out of, Informal. to beat mercilessly: The thief had knocked the tar out of the old man and left him for dead.
tar and feather,
to coat (a person) with tar and feathers as a punishment or humiliation.
to punish severely: She should be tarred and feathered for what she has done.
tarred with the same brush, possessing the same shortcomings or guilty of the same misdeeds: The whole family is tarred with the same brush.
Origin of tar
1Other words from tar
- non·tarred, adjective
- un·tarred, adjective
How to use tar in a sentence
With this they are further tarring the poor schmuck who is fighting off a life-threatening infection: Dr. Craig Spencer.
New York & New Jersey’s Ebola Quarantines Are an Insane Overreaction | Kent Sepkowitz | October 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTRepublicans are spending the vast majority of their time tarring and feathering each other.
The Anti-Defamation League has a new list out tarring human rights activists in the name of protecting Israel.
The Anti-Defamation League has a new list out tarring human-rights activists in the name of protecting Israel.
The men left their tarring and caulking under the drying-stages.
The Harbor Master | Theodore Goodridge Roberts
Hamilton had already turned to Tarring and he wheeled with a snap in his voice.
Destiny | Charles Neville BuckOnce we thought of tarring him; but a tarred horse would be nearly as plain to be noticed as a skew-bald.
A King's Comrade | Charles WhistlerI think that captain deserved tarring and feathering, anyway,' one of the men said to me.
A Voyage in the 'Sunbeam' | Annie Allnut BrasseyThe roof he was tarring was a little above him, with the result that he himself was fairly covered with sprinklings of the tar.
The Chronicles of a Gay Gordon | Jos Maria Gordon
British Dictionary definitions for tar (1 of 2)
/ (tɑː) /
any of various dark viscid substances obtained by the destructive distillation of organic matter such as coal, wood, or peat
another name for coal tar
to coat with tar
tar and feather to punish by smearing tar and feathers over (someone)
tarred with the same brush regarded as having the same faults
Origin of tar
1Derived forms of tar
- tarry, adjective
- tarriness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for tar (2 of 2)
/ (tɑː) /
an informal word for seaman
Origin of tar
2Collins 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 tar
[ tär ]
A dark, oily, viscous material, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons, produced by the destructive distillation of organic substances such as wood, coal, or peat.
A solid, sticky substance that remains when tobacco is burned. It accumulates in the lungs of smokers and is considered carcinogenic.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with tar
In addition to the idiom beginning with tar
- tar and feather
also see:
- beat the living daylights (tar) out of
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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