tarpaulin

[tahr-paw-lin, tahr-puh-lin]

See more synonyms for tarpaulin on Thesaurus.com

noun

a protective covering of canvas or other material waterproofed with tar, paint, or wax.
a hat, especially a sailor's, made of or covered with such material.
Rare. a sailor.

Origin of tarpaulin

1595–1605; earlier tarpauling. See tar¹, pall¹, -ing¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for tarpaulin

coat, canvas, cover, sailcloth, oilcloth

Examples from the Web for tarpaulin

Contemporary Examples of tarpaulin

On Tuesday, the group witnessed a convoy of 43 unmarked green military trucks with tarpaulin covers moving towards Donetsk.
Thousands of Putin’s Troops Now in Ukraine, Analysts Say
Shane Harris
November 11, 2014
When we were kids and some rain would come up, the fans would jump out of the stands to help spread the tarpaulin on the field.
The Great Paul Hemphill Celebrates the Long Gone Birmingham Barons
Paul Hemphill
March 29, 2014
Alina Vergana, 41, was sitting beneath a tarpaulin stretched to keep off the burning sun.
Typhoon Haiyan: The Philippine Village that Lost Its Men
The Telegraph
November 17, 2013

Historical Examples of tarpaulin

The loads, covered by the tarpaulin, had been arranged in the centre of the circle.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
At camp Kingozi ordered them to place the loads in place beneath the tarpaulin.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
I crawl in between the chairs and the wall and get under that piece of tarpaulin.
In a Steamer Chair and Other Stories
Robert Barr
I could not control my anxiety as the steward got nearer and nearer the tarpaulin.
In a Steamer Chair and Other Stories
Robert Barr
Is he a tarpaulin theologian—a divine among the tarry-breeks?'
Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for tarpaulin

tarpaulin

noun

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
a sheet of this fabric
a hat of or covered with this fabric, esp a sailor's hat
a rare word for seaman

Word Origin for tarpaulin

C17: probably from tar 1 + pall 1 + -ing 1

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

Word Origin and History for tarpaulin

c.1600, from tar (n.1) + palling, from pall "heavy cloth covering" (see pall (n.)); probably so called because the canvas is sometimes coated in tar to make it waterproof.