Tarzan

American  

[tahr-zuhn, -zan] / ˈtɑr zən, -zæn /

noun

1. the hero of a series of jungle stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

2. a person of superior or superhuman physical strength, agility, and prowess.

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Tarzan British  

/ ˈtɑːzən /

noun

1. informal (sometimes not capital) a man with great physical strength, agility, and virility

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Tarzan ¹ Cultural  

1. A character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in the early twentieth century. Tarzan, born to aristocratic parents but orphaned in Africa, is raised by apes, who teach him to speak their language.

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Tarzan ² Cultural  

1. A character in popular novels by the twentieth-century American author Edgar Rice Burroughs. (See under “Mythology and Folklore.”)

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Discover More

By extension, a “Tarzan” is a macho male, figuratively thumping his chest to get attention.

The adventures of Tarzan have been chronicled in countless books, comic strips, animated cartoons, radio and television series, and motion pictures.

Etymology

Origin of Tarzan

C20: after the hero of a series of stories by Edgar Rice _Burroughs

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Tarzan

Reports at the time said he was helped by villagers and tribals who eulogised him as "a modern-day Tarzan who plays with elephants and rides tigers".

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Told that Tarzan is a fictional character, Sibby replies, “I wouldn’t be so sure. They did make a movie about his life.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026

“It was daydreaming about life in the forest with Tarzan that led to my determination to go to Africa, to live with animals and write books about them.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025

Skarsgård has incredible range as an actor, as he has also played "Tarzan" and a war hero in "Generation Kill," but his portrayal of villains tends to stand out more.

From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2025

Other than Cookie Monster and Tarzan, most of us effortlessly choose the right case whenever a pronoun is found in its usual place in the tree, next to the governing verb or preposition.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker