tin
Chemistry. a low-melting, malleable, ductile metallic element nearly approaching silver in color and luster: used in plating and in making alloys, tinfoil, and soft solders. Symbol: Sn; atomic weight: 118.69; atomic number: 50; specific gravity: 7.31 at 20°C.
any shallow pan, especially one used in baking.
any pot, box, can, or other container or vessel made of tin or tin plate.
Squash. telltale (def. 8).
Chiefly British. a hermetically sealed can containing food.
Slang. a small quantity of an illicit drug, especially from two to five grams of cocaine: usually sold in a small plastic bag, a glassine envelope, or often a small tin container.
British Slang. money.
made or consisting of tin or tin plate.
false; worthless; counterfeit: a set of tin values.
indicating the tenth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.
Metallurgy.
to cover or coat with tin.
to coat with soft solder.
Chiefly British. to preserve or pack (especially food) in cans; can.
to cover (windows and doors in an abandoned or unoccupied building or apartment) with sheets of tin to prevent vandalism or occupancy by vagrants, squatters, etc.
Origin of tin
1Other words from tin
- tinlike, adjective
- re·tin, verb (used with object), re·tinned, re·tin·ning.
Words Nearby tin
Other definitions for TIN (2 of 2)
taxpayer identification number.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tin in a sentence
The line right before this is “With little tin horns and little toy drums.”
The Most Confusing Christmas Music Lyrics Explained (VIDEO) | Kevin Fallon | December 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe raw materials— tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold—were dubbed “conflict minerals.”
Aaron Rodgers Takes Aim at Congo’s ‘Blood Minerals’ War | John Prendergast | December 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOne and all, they come shaking their tin cups at election time then run like the wind when a critical vote comes up.
The more than 50,000 who reside in West Point live mostly in shacks made of zinc with rusted tin roofs.
But his lumbering lurch toward the Ted Cruz tin-foil-hat convention should instead be an object lesson for Republicans to come.
And I will turn my hand to thee, and I will clean purge away thy dross, and I will take away all thy tin.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousOtherwise, a child's box of tin soldiers sent by post would have been just the thing for the Dardanelles landing!
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonHe watched the man put some bread and milk in a tin pan, and set it down on the floor of the basket.
Squinty the Comical Pig | Richard BarnumAll the bamboo clappers, cocoanut shells, tin pans, and red flags that could be found were seized and put into use.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin | Mary Hazelton WadeAnother manner of punishment consists in making them wear a tin mask, which is fastened with a lock behind.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
British Dictionary definitions for tin
/ (tɪn) /
a metallic element, occurring in cassiterite, that has several allotropes; the ordinary malleable silvery-white metal slowly changes below 13.2°C to a grey powder. It is used extensively in alloys, esp bronze and pewter, and as a noncorroding coating for steel. Symbol: Sn; atomic no: 50; atomic wt: 118.710; valency: 2 or 4; relative density: 5.75 (grey), 7.31 (white); melting pt: 231.9°C; boiling pt: 2603°C: Related adjectives: stannic, stannous
Also called (esp US and Canadian): can an airtight sealed container of thin sheet metal coated with tin, used for preserving and storing food or drink
any container made of metallic tin
fill her tins NZ to complete a home baking of cakes, biscuits, etc
Also called: tinful the contents of a tin or the amount a tin will hold
British, Australian and NZ corrugated or galvanized iron: a tin roof
any metal regarded as cheap or flimsy
British a loaf of bread with a rectangular shape, baked in a tin
slang money
it does exactly what it says on the tin it lives up to expectations
to put (food, etc) into a tin or tins; preserve in a tin
to plate or coat with tin
to prepare (a metal) for soldering or brazing by applying a thin layer of solder to the surface
Origin of tin
1Derived forms of tin
- tinlike, 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
Scientific definitions for tin
[ tĭn ]
A malleable, silvery metallic element that occurs in igneous rocks. It has a crystalline structure and crackles when bent. Tin is used as an anticorrosion agent and is a part of numerous alloys, including bronze. Atomic number 50; atomic weight 118.71; melting point 231.89°C; boiling point 2,270°C; specific gravity 7.31; valence 2, 4. See Periodic Table. See Note at element.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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