tarpaulin

American  

[tahr-paw-lin, tahr-puh-lin] / tɑrˈpɔ lɪn, ˈtɑr pə lɪn /

noun

• tarpaulins
  plural

1. a protective covering of canvas or other material waterproofed with tar, paint, or wax.

2. a hat, especially a sailor's, made of or covered with such material.

3. Rare. a sailor.

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tarpaulin British  

/ tɑːˈpɔːlɪn /

noun

1. a heavy hard-wearing waterproof fabric made of canvas or similar material coated with tar, wax, or paint, for outdoor use as a protective covering against moisture

2. a sheet of this fabric

3. a hat of or covered with this fabric, esp a sailor's hat

4. a rare word for seaman

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tarpaulins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tarpaulin

1595–1605; earlier tarpauling. See tar ¹, pall ¹, -ing ¹

Explanation

A tarpaulin is a heavy, waterproof piece of fabric that's used as a protective cover or shelter. You might drape a tarpaulin over your tent when it starts raining in the middle of your camping trip. Or you can just go home. Tarpaulins are often called tarps for short. The word probably includes tar because of the original method for waterproofing a tarpaulin, which involved spreading tar on a heavy piece of canvas. The pall part means "cloth." During the 19th century, it was common to abbreviate the word as paulin, especially in nautical terminology.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tarpaulin tarpaulins

As activists gather beneath tarpaulin sheets in New Delhi, often holding all-night political debates, singing or reciting poetry, delivery drivers from online platforms weave through the barricades.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Many face poor living conditions in Bangladesh, living in makeshift homes of tarpaulin and bamboo on steep hillsides.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

A tarpaulin covered the court to make sure people couldn’t observe his lengthy matches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

Gone is the tarpaulin roof: The Bird Cage is now a fully enclosed, soundstage-like structure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

A great delegation had arrived in Trokorpe, with a truck carrying a huge thing covered with a tarpaulin.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

AFP saw several residents of the small town of Mbay, in Nagekeo regency nearest the epicentre, camped out in makeshift tents they had erected using tarpaulins and poles.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Hick said Syston residents could also do their bit by cleaning their gullies and drains now and again in autumn when leaves begin to drop and consider flood barriers, sandbags and tarpaulins for their properties.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Doctors and forensic experts in the port examined bodies under tarpaulins held up by four poles before issuing death certificates and cremation authorizations.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

Nearly 270,000 tents and tarpaulins have been brought into Gaza since August, according to COGAT, although the breakdown and quality of the items couldn’t be determined.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 13, 2025

It was harmattan, but because they feared the thunderstorms, they covered the ditches with tarpaulins spread across bamboo sticks.

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