Tarzan

[tahr-zuh n, -zan]

See more synonyms for Tarzan on Thesaurus.com

noun

the hero of a series of jungle stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
a person of superior or superhuman physical strength, agility, and prowess.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tarzan

Contemporary Examples

Or a modernized Tarzan might lead African miners on strike against unscrupulous multinationals.
Can Tarzan of the Apes Survive in a Post-Colonial World?
Ted Gioia
November 23, 2014
I bought Tarzan comic books, and even had a few issues of ERB-dom, a mimeographed fanzine devoted to the works of Burroughs.
Can Tarzan of the Apes Survive in a Post-Colonial World?
Ted Gioia
November 23, 2014
(Netflix, June 13) Tarzan (1999) Relive your child with the timeless Tarzan and his feisty friend Jane.
9 New Movies to Stream on Netflix This June
The Daily Beast
June 9, 2014
I fell passionately in love with Tarzan, and was most distressed when he married the wrong Jane.
How I Write: Jane Goodall
Noah Charney
April 9, 2014
He talks about attending the Dum-Dum convention in August, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Tarzan.
What Happened to Big-Screen Hunk Casper Van Dien?
Ramin Setoodeh
July 11, 2012

Historical Examples

Tarzan (of, if I remember rightly, the Apes) never won the double event.
If Winter Don't
Barry Pain
Tarzan, you'll remember, did not learn to smoke and drink until the second book.
The Big Fix
George Oliver Smith
They were as happy about the whole mess as a pair of kids erecting a Tarzan dwelling in a tree.
Rats in the Belfry
John York Cabot
And I would think that maybe in a way Etl was like Tarzan, being raised by apes.
Stamped Caution
Raymond Zinke Gallun
After suggesting everything that seemed akin to this, she happened upon “Tarzan.”
The Crimson Thread
Roy J. Snell

British Dictionary definitions for tarzan

Tarzan

noun

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

Word Origin

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

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

Word Origin and History for tarzan

Tarzan

name of character in a series of novels by U.S. fiction writer Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), introduced 1914.

tarzan in Culture

Tarzan

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.

Note

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

Note

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

Tarzan

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

Tarzan

Examples from the Web for tarzan

Contemporary Examples

Or a modernized Tarzan might lead African miners on strike against unscrupulous multinationals.

I bought Tarzan comic books, and even had a few issues of ERB-dom, a mimeographed fanzine devoted to the works of Burroughs.

(Netflix, June 13) Tarzan (1999) Relive your child with the timeless Tarzan and his feisty friend Jane.

I fell passionately in love with Tarzan, and was most distressed when he married the wrong Jane.

He talks about attending the Dum-Dum convention in August, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Tarzan.

Historical Examples

Tarzan (of, if I remember rightly, the Apes) never won the double event.

Tarzan, you'll remember, did not learn to smoke and drink until the second book.

They were as happy about the whole mess as a pair of kids erecting a Tarzan dwelling in a tree.

And I would think that maybe in a way Etl was like Tarzan, being raised by apes.

After suggesting everything that seemed akin to this, she happened upon “Tarzan.”

Tarzan

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}tarzan

Tarzan

Tarzan

Note

Note

Tarzan

Word Origin and History for tarzan