tapas
Americannoun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of tapas
First recorded in 1930–35; from Sanskrit: “penance,” literally, “heat”; akin to Latin tepēre “to be lukewarm” ( see tepid ( def. ))
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.
As Navarro and a reporter order tapas dishes for the next two hours, patrons at nearby tables raise their cellphone cameras.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
Three-year-old Madeleine vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal's Praia da Luz in May 2007 while her parents dined at a nearby tapas bar.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025
One of three co-owners, Tatenda Mhende described the menu as “similar to Spanish tapas but with French food.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025
I am a master of sitting in a hotel room and finishing some not-even-that-time-sensitive work when I should be out at a tapas bar on a nominal vacation.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2025
This is the Mission District, a gentrified hotbed of sushi, tapas, hip Mexican restaurants, and upscale furniture stores.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.