tin can

American

noun

can.
U.S. Navy Slang. a destroyer.

tin can British

noun

a metal food container, esp when empty

"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

Etymology

Origin of tin can

An Americanism dating back to 1760–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Residents have responded in kind, posting a picture of a tin can phone to signal their slide back to the pre-digital age.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

He was a mostly self-taught golfer who had fashioned a swing using a branch from a guava tree for a club and a crushed tin can for a ball.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2024

On a crisp Saturday morning that screamed for adventure, a former tin can factory in North Kansas City, Mo. thrummed with the sound of young people climbing, sliding, spinning, jumping, exploring and reading.

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2024

To imagine why these issues arise, picture yourself in a tin can with a small crew, a deadly environment outside, a monotonous schedule, an unnatural daytime-nighttime cycle and mission controllers constantly on your case.

From Scientific American • Sep. 19, 2023

I let him stop every now and then to sniff a tangle of weeds or inspect a tin can on the side of the road.

From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023