View synonyms for tar

tar

[ tahr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of various dark-colored viscid products obtained by the destructive distillation of certain organic substances, as coal or wood.
coal-tar pitch.
smoke solids or components:
cigarette tar.

verb (used with object)

, tarred, tar·ring.

to smear or cover with or as if with tar.

adjective

of or characteristic of tar.
covered or smeared with tar; tarred.

tar

[ tahr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Informal: Older Use.

a sailor.
Synonyms: gob, seafarer

tar

/ tɑː /

noun

an informal word for seaman

tar

/ tɑː /

noun

any of various dark viscid substances obtained by the destructive distillation of organic matter such as coal, wood, or peat
another name for coal tar

verb

to coat with tar
tar and feather
to punish by smearing tar and feathers over (someone)
tarred with the same brush
regarded as having the same faults

tar

/ tär /

A dark, oily, viscous material, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons, produced by the destructive distillation of organic substances such as wood, coal, or peat.
See coal tar
A solid, sticky substance that remains when tobacco is burned. It accumulates in the lungs of smokers and is considered carcinogenic.

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Derived Forms

ˈtarriness, noun
ˈtarry, adjective

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Other Words From

non·tarred adjective
un·tarred adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of tar¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun ter, terr(e), Old English teru, teoru, taru; cognate with Dutch, German teer, Old Norse tjara; akin to tree; verb derivative of the noun

Origin of tar²

First recorded in 1670–80; perhaps short for tarpaulin

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Word History and Origins

Origin of tar¹

C17: short for tarpaulin

Origin of tar²

Old English teoru; related to Old Frisian tera, Old Norse tjara, Middle Low German tere tar, Gothic triu tree

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

beat / knock / whale the tar out of, Informal. to beat mercilessly:
The thief had knocked the tar out of the old man and left him for dead.
tar and feather,
1. to coat (a person) with tar and feathers as a punishment or humiliation.
2. to punish severely:
  She should be tarred and feathered for what she has done.
tarred with the same brush, possessing the same shortcomings or guilty of the same misdeeds:
The whole family is tarred with the same brush.

More idioms and phrases containing tar

In addition to the idiom beginning with tar , also see beat the living daylights (tar) out of .

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Synonym Study

See sailor.

Related Words

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

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