tapas

American  

[tuhp-uhs] / ˈtʌp əs /

noun

Yoga.

1. the conditioning of the body through the proper kinds and amounts of diet, rest, bodily training, meditation, etc., to bring it to the greatest possible state of creative power.

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tapas British  

/ ˈtæpəs /

plural noun

1. 1. light snacks or appetizers, usually eaten with drinks

   2. ( as modifier )

      a tapas bar

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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

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

Unlike da Vinci, who was born in Tuscany, our dinner plan—a cicchetti crawl—was unquestionably Venetian, and a chance to sample the city’s bite-sized answers to Spanish tapas.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 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

I’ve even joked to my boyfriend, Stephen, about starting a matchmaking service—not for romance, but for people seeking a like-minded friend to share tapas, dim sum or a Chili’s Triple Dipper.

From Salon • Sep. 30, 2025

When we’re ready to rest, we have tapas at one of the cafés on the Plaza de Santa Ana, next to a statue of the poet and playwright Federico García Lorca.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar