suntans

[suhn-tanz]

noun (used with a plural verb)

a tan military uniform for summer wear.

Origin of suntans

1935–40, Americanism; see suntan, -s³

suntan

[suhn-tan]

noun

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

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

Also called pastel orange. a medium orange color.

verb (used with or without object), sun·tanned, sun·tan·ning.

tan¹(defs 2, 4).

Origin of suntan

First recorded in 1900–05; sun + tan¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for suntans

beige, drab, khaki, brownish, brown, natural, gold, saddle, ecru, cream, bronze, buff, biscuit, sand, olive, umber, tawny, yellowish

Examples from the Web for suntans

Contemporary Examples of suntans

The film opens with her bratty brother spying on her with binoculars as she suntans on a beach.
‘Jeune et Jolie’ (‘Young and Beautiful’) Opens at Cannes With Model Marine Vacth
Richard Porton
May 16, 2013

Historical Examples of suntans

He was a tall, spare man in suntans, with a sunburned face and cold eyes.
The Leech
Phillips Barbee
General O'Donnell, still in suntans, was seated at a small desk.
The Leech
Phillips Barbee

British Dictionary definitions for suntans

suntan

noun

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 sunlampOften shortened to: tan
(as modifier)suntan oil

Derived Formssuntanned, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for suntans

suntan

also sun-tan, 1821, from sun (n.) + tan (v.). Related: Suntanned; suntanning. As a noun from 1904.