tarpaulin

American  

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

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of tarpaulin

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

Example Sentences

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

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

A white, igloo-like tarpaulin had been erected over the candles, flowers and messages to shield them from the snow and winter weather.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

He recounted how once they boarded the pirogue, he and the other passengers were covered with a tarpaulin: "I closed my eyes and thought of my mother," he said.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

By 1970, sculptors Christo and Jeanne-Claude had just wrapped a million square-feet of coastal Australia in tarpaulin lashed with rope.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025

I dropped it beyond the edge of the tarpaulin for Richard Parker, who hadn’t seen the bird arrive.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel