tart

1
[ tahrt ]
See synonyms for: tarttartness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,tart·er, tart·est.
  1. sharp to the taste; sour or acid: Tart apples are best for pie.

  2. sharp in character, spirit, or expression; cutting; biting: a tart remark.

Origin of tart

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English teart “sharp, rough”; akin to Dutch tarten “to defy,” Middle High German traz “defiance”

Other words for tart

Opposites for tart

Other words from tart

  • tartish, adjective
  • tart·ish·ly, adverb
  • tartly, adverb
  • tartness, noun

Other definitions for tart (2 of 2)

tart2
[ tahrt ]

noun
  1. a small pie filled with cooked fruit or other sweetened preparation, usually having no top crust.

  2. a covered pie containing fruit or the like.

  1. Slang. a prostitute or sexually promiscuous woman.

Verb Phrases
  1. tart up, Slang. to adorn, dress, or decorate, especially in a flamboyant manner: The old restaurant was tarted up to look like a Viennese café.

Origin of tart

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; 1905–10 for def. 3; Middle English tarte, from Middle French; compare Medieval Latin tarta

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tart in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tart (1 of 3)

tart1

/ (tɑːt) /


noun
  1. a pastry case often having no top crust, with a sweet or savoury filling

Origin of tart

1
C14: from Old French tarte, of uncertain origin; compare Medieval Latin tarte

British Dictionary definitions for tart (2 of 3)

tart2

/ (tɑːt) /


adjective
  1. (of a flavour, food, etc) sour, acid, or astringent

  2. cutting, sharp, or caustic: a tart remark

Origin of tart

2
Old English teart rough; related to Dutch tarten to defy, Middle High German traz defiance

Derived forms of tart

  • tartish, adjective
  • tartishly, adverb
  • tartly, adverb
  • tartness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for tart (3 of 3)

tart3

/ (tɑːt) /


noun
  1. informal a promiscuous woman, esp a prostitute: often a term of abuse: See also tart up

Origin of tart

3
C19: shortened from sweetheart

Derived forms of tart

  • tarty, adjective

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