Tarzan

American

[tahr-zuhn, -zan] / ˈtɑr zən, -zæn /

noun

the hero of a series of jungle stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
a person of superior or superhuman physical strength, agility, and prowess.

Tarzan British

/ ˈtɑːzən /

noun

informal (sometimes not capital) a man with great physical strength, agility, and virility

"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

Tarzan ¹ Cultural

A character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in the early twentieth century. Tarzan, born to aristocratic parents but orphaned in Africa, is raised by apes, who teach him to speak their language.

Tarzan ² Cultural

A character in popular novels by the twentieth-century American author Edgar Rice Burroughs. (See under “Mythology and Folklore.”)

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By extension, a “Tarzan” is a macho male, figuratively thumping his chest to get attention.

The adventures of Tarzan have been chronicled in countless books, comic strips, animated cartoons, radio and television series, and motion pictures.

Etymology

Origin of Tarzan

C20: after the hero of a series of stories by Edgar Rice _Burroughs

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.

Told that Tarzan is a fictional character, Sibby replies, “I wouldn’t be so sure. They did make a movie about his life.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Skarsgård has incredible range as an actor, as he has also played "Tarzan" and a war hero in "Generation Kill," but his portrayal of villains tends to stand out more.

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2025

Following his retirement, Weissmuller swapped the swimming pool for the glamour of Tinseltown, being cast as Tarzan in the 1932 film ‘Tarzan the Ape Man’.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2024

The wallpaper tendrils down like a wide Tarzan vine to the built-in benches of the cozy corner nook, where fabric takes over on the seats and pillow.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 20, 2023

He looked like a figure out of a Tarzan movie; he was dressed in animal bones, shells, bladders and skins, and his fat body and deadpan face were caked with red clay.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023