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• tang
  tang

  noun

  a strong taste or flavor.
• T'ang
  T'ang

  noun

  a dynasty in China, a.d. 618–907, marked by territorial expansion, the invention of printing, and the high development of poetry.
• Tang
  Tang

  noun

  the imperial dynasty of China from 618–907 _ad

tang

¹ American  

[tang] / tæŋ /

noun

1. a strong taste or flavor.

   Synonyms:

   savor

2. the distinctive flavor or quality of a thing.

3. a pungent or distinctive odor.

4. a touch or suggestion of something; slight trace.

   Synonyms:

   hint, taste

5. a long and slender projecting strip, tongue, or prong forming part of an object, as a chisel, file, or knife, and serving as a means of attachment for another part, as a handle or stock.

6. a surgeonfish.

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verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with a tang.

tang ² American  

[tang] / tæŋ /

noun

1. a sharp ringing or twanging sound; clang.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to ring or twang; clang.

T'ang ³ American  

[tahng] / tɑŋ /

Or Tang

noun

1. a dynasty in China, a.d. 618–907, marked by territorial expansion, the invention of printing, and the high development of poetry.

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tang ¹ British  

/ tæŋ /

noun

1. a strong taste or flavour

   the tang of the sea

2. a pungent or characteristic smell

   the tang of peat fires

3. a trace, touch, or hint of something

   a tang of cloves in the apple pie

4. the pointed end of a tool, such as a chisel, file, knife, etc, which is fitted into a handle, shaft, or stock

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Tang ² British  

/ tæŋ /

noun

1. the imperial dynasty of China from 618–907 _ad

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Etymology

Origin of tang¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English tange “tongue of a snake, projection on a tool,” perhaps from Old Norse tangi “projection, headland, tang of a blade”

Origin of tang²

First recorded in 1660–70; imitative; see ting ¹

Explanation

A tang is a sharp flavor or smell, like the tang of fresh-squeezed lemonade or the tang of the salty ocean breeze. When you eat something sour, you taste a tang, like the tang of blue cheese or vinegar in your salad. Although it's no longer available today, Tang was also the name of a tangy, sugary orange drink that was especially popular in the 1960s and 70s. From a root word meaning "to bite," tang's original meaning was "serpent's tongue."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tang T'ang Tang

The buttery, milder fish compliments the tang of the tomatoes and the bright balsamic dressing that finishes the salad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

“You won’t miss the statue,” the clerk said, the slightest tang of exasperation in his tone.

From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026

But I’d like to make the case for my pasta, which draws inspiration from classic spaghetti alla puttanesca while doubling down on the acidity, brightness and overall tang.

From Salon ● May 1, 2026

There’s a slight tang from the yogurt bathed in warm spices.

From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026

The smell of wet earth comes to me from those thumbed and tattered pages, the sour tang of moorland peat, the feel of soggy moss spattered white in places by a heron’s droppings.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

From the hand-painted cards of T’ang Dynasty China to paper-and-plastic Pokémon trading cards, the history of playing cards spans cultures, epochs, and continents.

From National Geographic ● Nov. 3, 2023

References to “domino cards” existed as early as the T’ang Dynasty, which lasted from 618-907 AD.

From National Geographic ● Nov. 3, 2023

By the time the Pekingese had become a proper breed during the T’ang dynasty, only the Chinese imperial family was allowed to keep them.

From Time ● Feb. 15, 2012

T'ang Fei-Fan and colleagues in Peking described scrupulously conducted experiments in which they grew generations of the virus in fertilized eggs, gave it to monkeys, which got something like trachoma.

From Time Magazine Archive

The T’ang, allied with the Silla kingdom, swept down from the north and pushed their way into Puyo.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park

There were no dissents at the June meeting, Warsh’s first as chair, as central-bank officials gave him a “honeymoon” that isn’t expected to last, said Derek Tang, co-founder of LH Meyer/Monetary Policy Analytics.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026

“I think people are antsy about it, because they just don’t know whether Warsh will come up and surprise us,” Tang said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

Curated by Wendy Nālani E. Ikemoto, the museum’s vice president and chief curator, the exhibition anchors the opening of the new Tang Wing for American Democracy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

The Met, meanwhile, is eager to continue highlighting modern and contemporary art as it progresses on its new Tang Wing that will hold works from those periods and is set to debut in 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

“All we have to do is threaten to go. They let us rebuild the Tang people’s town in the old place or we go to some city where they’ll appreciate us.”

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep