tarpaper

American  

[tahr-pey-per] / ˈtɑrˌpeɪ pər /

noun

1. a heavy, tar-coated paper used as a waterproofing material in building construction.

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Etymology

Origin of tarpaper

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; tar ¹ + paper

Example Sentences

They combine flimsy-looking tarpaper with oversized driftwood because that is what is to hand.

From The Guardian • Jul. 28, 2018

As a child, Mr. Mancini, 56, lived in a tarpaper shack in No Cash, a nearby station for the mine’s tramline, before his family moved to Keno.

From New York Times • Oct. 15, 2017

I have been writing replies to her students ever since, most recently to Minami Funakoshi, whose question had to do with my book “The Pine Barrens” and a couple of people in a tarpaper shanty.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 14, 2015

At the far end, where the kitchen was gutted, someone had shoved together an enormous pile of sheet metal, tarpaper, wire and smashed glass.

From Time Magazine Archive

The open side faced the black tarpaper wall of the shed where the feast had taken place.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut