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Showing results for suntan. Search instead for suntannings.
Synonyms

suntan

American  
[suhn-tan] / ˈsʌnˌtæn /

noun

suntans plural
  1. a browning or a brown color of the skin resulting from exposure to sunlight or a sunlamp; tan.

  2. Also called mayfair tan, merida.  a light to medium yellow-brown.

  3. Also called pastel orange.  a medium orange color.


verb (used with or without object)

suntanned, suntanning
  1. tan.

suntan British  
/ ˈsʌnˌtæn /

noun

    1. Often shortened to: tan.  a brownish colouring of the skin caused by the formation of the pigment melanin within the skin on exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun or a sunlamp

    2. ( as modifier )

      suntan oil

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of suntan

First recorded in 1900–05; sun + tan 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.

See Examples For:

While there are some ingredients in suntan lotions - like oxybenzone - that can cause environmental damage to coral reefs, there is not evidence to suggest it poses a risk to humans, Dr McCann says.

From BBC Aug. 3, 2025

Edgewell Personal Care Co., the maker of Schick blazers and Banana Boat suntan lotion, has trimmed certain varieties of its anti-bacteria wipes Wet Ones, among others.

From Seattle Times Feb. 12, 2024

Sophie would rather apply suntan lotion to her own back.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 23, 2023

You can smell the coconut suntan lotion and hear Duran Duran playing in the background.

From New York Times Nov. 12, 2021

He took out a tube of suntan lotion, squeezed a bit onto his hand, and passed the tube on.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin

“They have the best suntans you’ve ever seen in your life,” said Kasen’s mom, Katie Wenzel, 45, who runs a local restaurant and motel.

From Washington Post Jul. 27, 2021

The people who lived here before me danced in Bourbon Street clubs; the balcony was for suntans.

From The New Yorker Aug. 12, 2019

Bling, suntans and Florida and New York are in.

From The Guardian Aug. 8, 2017

Many officials spent their time in a secure room reading signals-intelligence reports or working on their suntans by the pool.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 2, 2016

He was wearing a blue shirt and suntans and white socks and black shoes.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

NOV 2008: Berlusconi hails Barack Obama as "handsome, young and also suntanned", after he was elected the United States' first Black president.

From Reuters Jun. 12, 2023

He is fifty-nine and has a loose-legged stroll, tousled salt-and-pepper hair, and sunken, suntanned cheeks.

From The New Yorker Aug. 13, 2018

The smiling, suntanned participants joined sessions on team-building and learned how to collectively protect and promote the rights of patients and drug users to humane medical and social treatment, including ST.

From Slate May 22, 2017

At 75 he looks fit and suntanned, a Platonic ideal of the Aussie bloke.

From The Guardian Mar. 28, 2016

His suntanned face creased with his big smile of wonder.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

At this time of year, a person can go ice fishing and recline, shirtless, by the hole, suntanning from reflecting light.

From Scientific American Nov. 18, 2019

But what about addiction to suntanning, bodybuilding, fortune telling, or love?

From Slate Aug. 31, 2015

"I'm an evangelist against this foolish suntanning habit," says U.C.L.A.

From Time Magazine Archive

How else to explain such an affinity for one-hour photo developing, instant replay, touch- tone phones and suntanning parlors?

From Time Magazine Archive

The students spent the entire hour speaking in French about suntanning.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals

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