tar

¹ American  

[tahr] / tɑr /

noun

1. any of various dark-colored viscid products obtained by the destructive distillation of certain organic substances, as coal or wood.

2. coal-tar pitch.

3. smoke solids or components.

   cigarette tar.

---

verb (used with object)

tarred, tarring

1. to smear or cover with or as if with tar.

adjective

1. of or characteristic of tar.

2. covered or smeared with tar; tarred.

idioms

1. beat / knock / whale the tar out of, to beat mercilessly.

   The thief had knocked the tar out of the old man and left him for dead.

2. tar and feather,

   1. to coat (a person) with tar and feathers as a punishment or humiliation.

   2. to punish severely.

      She should be tarred and feathered for what she has done.

3. tarred with the same brush, possessing the same shortcomings or guilty of the same misdeeds.

   The whole family is tarred with the same brush.

tar ² American  

[tahr] / tɑr /

noun

Informal: Older Use.

1. a sailor.

   Synonyms:

   gob, seafarer

---

tar ¹ British  

/ tɑː /

noun

1. an informal word for seaman

---

tar ² British  

/ tɑː /

noun

1. any of various dark viscid substances obtained by the destructive distillation of organic matter such as coal, wood, or peat

2. another name for coal tar

---

verb

1. to coat with tar

2. to punish by smearing tar and feathers over (someone)

3. regarded as having the same faults

tar Scientific  

/ tär /

1. A dark, oily, viscous material, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons, produced by the destructive distillation of organic substances such as wood, coal, or peat.

2. See coal tar

3. A solid, sticky substance that remains when tobacco is burned. It accumulates in the lungs of smokers and is considered carcinogenic.

---

tar More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing tar

• beat the living daylights (tar) out of

---

Related Words

See sailor.

Other Word Forms

• nontarred adjective
• tarriness noun
• tarry adjective
• untarred adjective

Etymology

Origin of tar¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun ter, terr(e), Old English teru, teoru, taru; cognate with Dutch, German teer, Old Norse tjara; akin to tree; verb derivative of the noun

Origin of tar²

First recorded in 1670–80; perhaps short for tarpaulin

Example Sentences

Early in the morning though it was, the tar beneath the shingled roof was beginning to bubble in the hot July sun.

From Literature

"I don't want to tar every business with the same brush by any means, but there is some profiteering."

From BBC

Pike perch tartare from Lake Oulujärvi rests on malt bread with capers and dill oil and a whisper of pine tar.

From Salon

It simply won’t do to keep saying we have enough muscle for each new crisis, and to tar those who buck establishment wisdom with tired labels.

From The Wall Street Journal

It would be there, with the tar on the canvas drying and cracking, until great holes appeared and the currach wasted away.

From Literature

Related Words

• besmirch
• blight
• cloud
• corrupt
• damage
• discredit
• harm
• hurt
• infect
• muddy
• poison
• pollute
• smear
• spoil
• stain
• sully
• tarnish