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Synonyms

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

"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
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

"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

verb

  1. to coat with tar

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

  3. regarded as having the same faults

"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
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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He also sells Shilajit, which almost looks like tar.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

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

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026

"I think yes, if people are going to go bad, they go bad, but you can't tar a whole religion based on your prejudices."

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

"If you're small enough, pushing on water is like pushing through tar," says Miskin.

From Science Daily • Jan. 6, 2026

Ugwu wondered if she, too, could feel the coal tar getting hotter underneath, through her thin soles.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.