pine tar

American  

noun

1. a very viscid, blackish-brown liquid having an odor resembling that of turpentine, obtained by the destructive distillation of pine wood, used in paints, roofing, soaps, and, medicinally, for skin infections.

---

pine tar British  

noun

1. a brown or black semisolid or viscous substance, produced by the destructive distillation of pine wood, used in roofing compositions, paints, medicines, etc

---

Etymology

Origin of pine tar

First recorded in 1875–80

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pine tar

On paper, the one thing he has going for him is a nickname so retro that it’s practically covered in pine tar and has transformed an otherwise ordinary prospect into an unlikely cult hero.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Pike perch tartare from Lake Oulujärvi rests on malt bread with capers and dill oil and a whisper of pine tar.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026

“Not, put it on the baseball, not glob the baseball with it, but put a little pine tar on their fingertips and give them a little better adherence to the baseball.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2025

And yet the visual — Turner in a Red Sox uniform, his signature pine tar stain above the No. 2 on his back — remains jarring.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2023

And there was a kid stepping up to the plate, swinging his bat low, the pine tar sticky on his palms.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---