tarry

¹ American  

[tar-ee] / ˈtær i /

verb (used without object)

tarried, tarrying

1. to remain or stay, as in a place; sojourn.

   He tarried in Baltimore on his way to Washington.

   Synonyms:

   abide, stop, lodge, rest

   Antonyms:

   leave

2. to delay or be tardy in acting, starting, coming, etc.; linger or loiter.

3. to wait.

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verb (used with object)

tarried, tarrying

1. Archaic. to wait for.

noun

plural

tarries

1. a stay; sojourn.

tarry ² American  

[tahr-ee] / ˈtɑr i /

adjective

tarrier, tarriest

1. of or like tar; smeared with tar.

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tarry British  

/ ˈtærɪ /

verb

1. (intr) to delay in coming or going; linger

2. (intr) to remain temporarily or briefly

3. (intr) to wait or stay

4. archaic (tr) to await

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noun

1. rare a stay

Related Words

See wait.

Other Word Forms

• tarrier noun
• tarriness noun
• untarried adjective
• untarrying adjective

Etymology

Origin of tarry¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English taryen “to delay,” tary “a delay”; origin unknown

Origin of tarry²

First recorded in 1545–55; tar ¹ + -y ¹

Explanation

To tarry is to linger and take your time leaving. If you really like going to Sally’s Diner for dessert, you might tarry over coffee and end up leaving after they’ve closed the kitchen. The verb tarry is perfect for describing what happens when those relatives that you see once a year come to your house for lunch and never seem to leave. When people tarry they stick around and take a long time to depart, sometimes lurking or loitering, or sometimes enjoying each other's company. Tarry can also mean to hang around a place without purpose. You might tarry in the park until the day is fading and you have to go home.

Example Sentences

In the western province of Alberta, where many ferocious wildfires burned, huge deposits of thick crude oil, mixed with tarry sand, sit beneath the forest and near the snaking Athabasca River.

From Washington Times • Nov. 9, 2023

But thick mats of tarry petroleum asphalt cover portions of sandbars, oil-speckled rocks and bushes line the shore and the wreckage of a tank car juts from the middle of the river.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2023

As the big cat pounces, its quarry bolts forward into a tarry pool.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 16, 2023

It’s in our bodies: our lung tissue, our blood and in the dark, tarry first defecation of newborns.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2023

“Yet you yourself cling to it with your dirty hands. I shall not tarry here. My terms or nothing. Make your choice.”

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander