tan

[ tan ]

/ tæn /

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verb (used with object), tanned, tan·ning.

to convert (a hide) into leather, especially by soaking or steeping in a bath prepared from tanbark or synthetically.

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

Informal. to thrash; spank.

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

to become tanned.

noun

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

yellowish brown; light brown.

tanbark.

adjective, tan·ner, tan·nest.

of the color of tan; yellowish-brown.

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

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about tan

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

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, adjectiveun·tanned, adjectivewell-tanned, adjective

Other definitions for tan (2 of 4)

tan²

[ tan ]

/ tæn /

noun

tangent (def. 5b).

Origin of tan

By shortening

Other definitions for tan (3 of 4)

Tan

[ tan ]

/ tæn /

noun

Amy, born 1952, U.S. novelist.

Other definitions for tan (4 of 4)

TAN

[ tan ]

/ tæn /

noun

tax-anticipation note.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tan in a sentence

As she began to question her choice of tan boots, a "serious yet good-looking guy" wandering around the restaurant caught her eye.
Date Lab update: Their boots matched, at least! Here’s what happened next.|Damona Hoffman|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
Tan says the purpose of the initiative is to spread the benefits of the growing digital economy to more people as Singapore “upskills.”
CEO Anthony Tan says Grab is partnering with Microsoft to reskill drivers|eamonbarrett|October 27, 2020|Fortune
Tan, who is tall and slim, talks at length about the use of hydroponics—replacing soil with a water-based solution in which sensors test electrical conductivity and painstakingly gauge the ratios between specific nutrients.
Inside Singapore’s huge bet on vertical farming|Katie McLean|October 13, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Eighteen months on, it is now Tan’s only form of social media.
A new social-media platform wants to enforce “kindness.” Can that ever work?|Tanya Basu|October 7, 2020|MIT Technology Review

The tan-wall option adds a touch of class to any gravel bike.
New Gravel Bike Accessories for a Smoother Ride|Josh Patterson|September 28, 2020|Outside Online
Thousands of platinum-blonde manes brush against bare, perma-tanned backs moist with snow.
Russia’s Gold Digger Academy|Peter Pomerantsev|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You go for your gold-digger lessons, then you go get waxed and tanned.
Russia’s Gold Digger Academy|Peter Pomerantsev|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The men are smoking cigars, the women are tanned and bedecked.
Beirut Letter: In Lebanon, Fighting ISIS With Culture and Satire|Kim Ghattas|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Black plastic sunglasses rest atop his buzzed hair, above a tanned face with sharp features.
A Shooting on a Tribal Land Uncovers Feds Running Wild|Caitlin Dickson|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Babe showed up, too, arriving late, as usual, and looking tanned as a lifeguard.
The Stacks: The Day Lou Gehrig Delivered Baseball’s Gettysburg Address|Ray Robinson|July 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The old man, grizzled, tanned and seamed, leant weakly against the parapet.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
I would rather go to church with Dolly in homespun, than ride in a carriage beside that shrivelled piece of tanned leather.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
The sun had long since tanned his skin to a rich bronze; there were scars on cheeks, forehead, hands.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
Surely not more than twenty years of age, of medium height, a peach complexion, tanned a little but fair to look at.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
When it is tanned (says Dr. Grew) it is excessively hard, and thicker than the skin of any other terrestrial animal.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon

British Dictionary definitions for tan (1 of 2)

tan¹

/ (tæn) /

noun

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

a light or moderate yellowish-brown colour

short for tanbark

verb tans, tanning or tanned

to go brown or cause to go brown after exposure to ultraviolet raysshe tans easily

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

(tr) slang to beat or flog

adjective tanner or tannest

of the colour tantan gloves

used in or relating to tanning

Derived forms of tan

tannable, adjectivetannish, adjective

Word Origin for tan

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

British Dictionary definitions for tan (2 of 2)

tan²

/ (tæn) /

abbreviation for

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

Abbreviation of tangent

tan

Idioms about tan

Origin of tan

OTHER WORDS FROM tan

Other definitions for tan (2 of 4)

Origin of tan

Other definitions for tan (3 of 4)

Other definitions for tan (4 of 4)

Words related to tan

How to use tan in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tan (1 of 2)

Derived forms of tan

Word Origin for tan

British Dictionary definitions for tan (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for tan