tar

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: a dark brown or black bituminous usually odorous viscous liquid obtained by destructive distillation of organic material (such as wood, coal, or peat)
b
: a substance in some respects resembling tar
especially : a condensable residue present in smoke from burning tobacco that contains combustion by-products (such as resins, acids, phenols, and essential oils)
2
[short for tarpaulin] : sailor

tar

2 of 3

verb (1)

tarred; tarring

transitive verb

1
: to cover with tar
2
: to defile as if with tar
least tarred by the scandalNewsweek

tar

3 of 3

verb (2)

variants or tarre
tarred; tarring; tars or tarres

transitive verb

: to urge to action
usually used with on
Phrases
tar and feather
: to smear (a person) with tar and cover with feathers as a punishment or indignity
tar with the same brush
: to mark or stain with the same fault or characteristic

Examples of tar in a Sentence

Noun a book about the adventurous lives of tars, skippers, and pirates of the 18th century
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Roughly 1,050 pounds of oily waste, sand and tar balls were also removed from the shoreline, and one aquatic diving bird with oil on it was recovered, according to the Coast Guard. Taylor Romine, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 Rich and delicate and complex aromas of red and black cherries and tartan biscuits, mocha and tar. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 Although the official cleanup effort has been completed, tar balls continued to wash up Monday on the sand in Huntington Beach, including at the popular dog beach. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Sometimes, shampoos with tar are enough to manage and prevent flares of seborrheic dermatitis symptoms. Amanda Gardner, Health, 4 Mar. 2024 On the exterior, the house is characterized by the use of tar and gravel roofing. Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024 The researchers think animals fell into the cave system and were preserved by oil and tar that seeped in, encasing them. Evan Bush, NBC News, 11 Jan. 2024 Schmidt said that Neanderthals were already known to have made an adhesive from birch tar, which involved several steps to produce from tree bark by distillation. Katie Hunt, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024 About 1,900 years ago, someone in what is now the Netherlands hollowed out a sheep or goat femur, filled it with poisonous, hallucinogenic black seeds and sealed it with tar. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
For a platform provider like Google that seeks to stay above the fray, Pichai recognized the risks of being tarred with the same brush as many partisan cable media outlets and daily newspapers. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 The Obama-era loan office was tarred by accusations of cronyism; dollars had a way of going to the politically connected. Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 23 Nov. 2023 However, Republicans run the risk of achieving precisely the opposite goal of politically tarring, feathering, and trying to remove the president. Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2023 Taking a page from recent coups in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger’s new military leaders have tarred the country’s democratic leaders as too closely linked with France and promoted a populist message calling for the departure of the French military and diplomats from the region. Rachel Chason, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023 None of us were tarred and feathered for simply asking the question. Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Nov. 2023 Investment has dried up, regulators are cracking down, and the reputation of the businesses that remain standing has been tarred by association. WIRED, 27 Sep. 2023 Opponents of feminism in China have tarred the movement as pitching women above men. Siyi Zhao, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2023 The animosity toward Henrietta Maria took a familiar form, with critics tarring her as both cold and calculating and promiscuous and flighty. John Kelly, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English terr, tarr, from Old English teoru; akin to Old English trēow tree — more at tree entry 1

Verb (2)

Middle English terren, tarren, from Old English tyrwan

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tar was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near tar

Cite this Entry

“Tar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tar. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tar

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a dark usually thick sticky liquid obtained by distilling wood, coal, or peat
b
: a substance that resembles tar
especially : a sticky substance that is formed by burning tobacco
2
: sailor
tarlike
-ˌlīk
adjective

tar

2 of 2 verb
tarred; tarring
: to smear with or as if with tar

Medical Definition

tar

noun
1
: any of various dark brown or black bituminous usually odorous viscous liquids obtained by destructive distillation of organic material (as wood, coal, or peat)
especially : one used medicinally (as to treat skin diseases) see coal tar, juniper tar, pine tar
2
: a substance in some respects resembling tar
especially : a condensable residue present in smoke from burning tobacco that contains combustion by-products (as resins, acids, phenols, and essential oils)

Geographical Definition

Tar

geographical name

river 215 miles (346 kilometers) long in northeastern North Carolina see pamlico

More from Merriam-Webster on tar

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