tan

1
[ tan ]
See synonyms for tan on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),tanned, tan·ning.
  1. to convert (a hide) into leather, especially by soaking or steeping in a bath prepared from tanbark or synthetically.

  2. to make brown by exposure to ultraviolet rays, as of the sun.

  1. Informal. to thrash; spank.

verb (used without object),tanned, tan·ning.
  1. to become tanned.

noun
  1. the brown color imparted to the skin by exposure to the sun or open air.

  2. yellowish brown; light brown.

adjective,tan·ner, tan·nest.
  1. of the color of tan; yellowish-brown.

  2. used in or relating to tanning processes, materials, etc.

Idioms about tan

  1. tan someone's hide, Informal. to beat someone soundly: She threatened to tan our hides if she found us on her property again.

Origin of tan

1
First recorded before 1000; 1920–25 for def. 2; Middle English tannen “to make hide into leather,” late Old English tannian (only in past participle getanned ), from Medieval Latin tannāre, derivative of tannum “oak bark, tanbark,” from Germanic; compare Old High German tanna “oak, fir,” akin to Dutch den “fir”

Other words from tan

  • tan·na·ble, adjective
  • un·tanned, adjective
  • well-tanned, adjective

Words Nearby tan

Other definitions for tan (2 of 4)

tan2
[ tan ]

Origin of tan

2
By shortening

Other definitions for Tan (3 of 4)

Tan
[ tan ]

noun
  1. Amy, born 1952, U.S. novelist.

Other definitions for TAN (4 of 4)

TAN
[ tan ]

noun
  1. tax-anticipation note.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tan in a sentence

  • She wore soiled Burberry, high-legged tan boots, and a peaked cap of distinctly military appearance.

    Dope | Sax Rohmer
  • The corporal, rather chalky-looking under his tan, stepped forward and laid a hand on MacRae's shoulder.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • Woollen rags are mixed with cotton which has no manurial value, and the skin refuse from tan-works contains much lime.

  • I recognized the reddish tan that comes from facing a hot wind on the top of a moving boxcar.

    Nine Men in Time | Noel Miller Loomis
  • He was as well groomed as usual, but he was unmistakably pale beneath his new coat of tan.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for tan (1 of 2)

tan1

/ (tæn) /


noun
  1. the brown colour produced by the skin after intensive exposure to ultraviolet rays, esp those of the sun

  2. a light or moderate yellowish-brown colour

  1. short for tanbark

verbtans, tanning or tanned
  1. to go brown or cause to go brown after exposure to ultraviolet rays: she tans easily

  2. to convert (a skin or hide) into leather by treating it with a tanning agent, such as vegetable tannins, chromium salts, fish oils, or formaldehyde

  1. (tr) slang to beat or flog

adjectivetanner or tannest
  1. of the colour tan: tan gloves

  2. used in or relating to tanning

Origin of tan

1
Old English tannian (unattested as infinitive, attested as getanned, past participle), from Medieval Latin tannāre, from tannum tanbark, perhaps of Celtic origin; compare Irish tana thin

Derived forms of tan

  • tannable, adjective
  • tannish, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for tan (2 of 2)

tan2

/ (tæn) /


abbreviation for
  1. tangent (sense 2)

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

Scientific definitions for tan

tan

  1. Abbreviation of tangent

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.