tin
noun
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. Sn; 118.69; 50; 7.31 at 20°C.
tin
1 American
[tin]
/ tɪn /
noun
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tins
plural
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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. Sn; 118.69; 50; 7.31 at 20°C.
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any shallow pan, especially one used in baking.
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any pot, box, can, or other container or vessel made of tin or tin plate.
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Squash. telltale.
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Chiefly British. a hermetically sealed can containing food.
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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.
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British Slang. money.
adjective
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made or consisting of tin or tin plate.
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false; worthless; counterfeit.
a set of tin values.
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indicating the tenth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.
verb (used with object)
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tins,
present (3rd person singular)
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tinned,
past participle, past
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tinning
present participle
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Metallurgy.
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to cover or coat with tin.
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to coat with soft solder.
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Chiefly British. to preserve or pack (especially food) in cans; can.
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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.
TIN
2
American
[tin]
/ tɪn /
noun
tin
British
/ tɪn /
noun
-
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
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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
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any container made of metallic tin
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to complete a home baking of cakes, biscuits, etc
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Also called: tinful. the contents of a tin or the amount a tin will hold
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corrugated or galvanized iron
a tin roof
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any metal regarded as cheap or flimsy
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a loaf of bread with a rectangular shape, baked in a tin
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slang money
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it lives up to expectations
verb
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to put (food, etc) into a tin or tins; preserve in a tin
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to plate or coat with tin
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to prepare (a metal) for soldering or brazing by applying a thin layer of solder to the surface
tin
Scientific
/ tĭn /
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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.
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See Periodic Table See Note at element
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tinsimple
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tinssimple
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have tinnedperfect
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has tinnedperfect
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am tinningprogressive
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are tinningprogressive
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is tinningprogressive
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have been tinningperfect progressive
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has been tinningperfect progressive
Past
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tinnedsimple
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had tinnedperfect
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was tinningprogressive
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were tinningprogressive
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had been tinningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tin
before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, Old Norse tin, German Zinn; (v.) Middle English tinnen, derivative of the noun
Explanation
Tin is a kind of metal that is soft and silver-colored. The most common use of tin today is in solder, the hot, liquid metal that holds pipes and other metal pieces together. You may think of common items like tin foil and tin cans when you contemplate the uses of tin. Actually, so-called tin cans and tins are made of steel or other metals that are coated in tin. Before the middle of the 20th century, the foil used for covering food was made of thin sheets of tin. It was stiffer than today's foil (which is made of aluminum), and left food with a metallic, "tinny" taste.
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.
See Examples For:
“I have such fond memories in this quintessential New York apartment with the exposed brick, tin ceilings and many original pre-war features.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
They looked like tiny illustrations of fish pulled from the label of a particularly fancy tin of sardines, with hooks attached.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
She added drivers can also keep their keys in a metal container, such as a biscuit tin, or even the microwave at home.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Deal-loving Loft has offered a $346 tin of Osetra for $138.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The mustached man climbs fully aboard, reaching beneath the perch, lifting out Father’s prized rifle, his metal tin, exclaiming, “Look what we’ve got here.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Your beneficiary will also need an SSN or TIN.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2022
When the number is being used as identification, it is typically referred to as a TIN, and when it is being used for employment tax reporting, it’s usually referred to as an EIN.
From Encyclopedia.com ● Jun. 6, 2018
It’s highly likely that the company you work for will be able to give you the TIN.
From Encyclopedia.com ● Jun. 6, 2018
TIN SWE Thaketa Myo, Burma Sir: The article, too, is excellent, and an unusual venture for a news magazine.
From Time Magazine Archive
Then may come a "tin" minute paper and pencil contest to see who can write the most words beginning or ending with TIN in the allotted ten minutes.
From Entertaining Made Easy by Emily Rose Burt
Cavi, which calls itself “The People’s Caviar,” sells 125g tins of Osetra for $269.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
It features on everything from whisky bottles to biscuit tins - and even appeared in the hit US show Schitt's Creek.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
An impending heatwave has threatened to stow away — or rather, further preserve — countless tins of anchovies.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
Across the city in a suburb of Beirut, kitchen shelves were stacked with sauces and tins crowded the walls as volunteers prepared green beans and fried rice balls.
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
In the stone cellar we uncover blankets, crates of champagne, tins of French pâté, and a folder of glossy photographs of a woman called Gloria Swanson.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Last week, Wes Streeting said people should have water, tinned goods, baby food, torches and mobile phone charging packs ready in case of emergency.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
On 22 October, Streeting said that people should ensure they have three litres of water per person per day; tinned goods in the cupboard; baby food; battery powered torches and mobile phone charging packs.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Crates of tinned food sit in a pantry ready to be shipped off to local food banks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Gill says look out for salt and sugar content when buying tinned items:
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
We explain that we are the guard and so know our way about, we get hold of the tinned stuff and exchange it for things we are short of.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
After the war in 1922, he bought the business of J. Lesher & Son and dealt in plumbing, heating, roof tinning, spouting and stoves.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 17, 2018
First will come hot and cold rolling mills and a tinning operation, which will cost a total of $89.8 million and have an annual capacity of 555,000 tons.
From Time Magazine Archive
Most of its processes, from skinning to tinning, are now controlled by buttons, and new byproducts have led Armour in promising directions.
From Time Magazine Archive
Through its encouragement of the tinning industry, it helped make tinned meat a part of the British diet; through its public lectures, it introduced the nation to such modern wonders as the Edison phonograph.
From Time Magazine Archive
He was tinning his whole attention to physical activity so that he might not notice the nagging uneasiness beginning to force its way into the conscious part of his mind.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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