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

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

The tarpaulin -- used to protect them from the sun during the day and cold at night -- was removed only 10 days later, when the boat was rescued by Salvamento Maritimo.

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 needed safe access to the locker and the top of the tarpaulin, no matter the time of day or the weather, no matter his mood.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel