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¹tar

noun \ˈtär\

: a very thick, black, sticky liquid made from coal that becomes hard when it cools and that is used especially for road surfaces

: a sticky substance that is formed by burning tobacco

Full Definition of TAR

a : a dark brown or black bituminous usually odorous viscous liquid obtained by destructive distillation of organic material (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 (as resins, acids, phenols, and essential oils)

[short for tarpaulin] : sailor

See tar defined for English-language learners

See tar defined for kids

Origin of TAR

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

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to TAR

Synonyms: gob, hearty, jack, jack-tar, mariner, navigator, salt, sea dog, seafarer, seaman, shipman, swab, swabbie (also swabby) [slang], sailor

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

Rhymes with TAR

ar, are, bar, barre, car, char, czar, far, gar, gnar, guar, jar, Lar, mar, moire, noir, our, par, parr, Parr, R, Saar, scar, spar, SPAR, star, tahr, yare

²tar

transitive verb

tarredtar·ring

Definition of TAR

: to cover with tar

: to defile as if with tar <least tarred by the scandal — Newsweek>

— 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

First Known Use of TAR

13th century

³tar

transitive verb \ˈtär\

tarredtar·ringtars or tarres

Definition of TAR

: to urge to action —usually used with on

Variants of TAR

tar or tarre \ˈtär\

Origin of TAR

Middle English terren, tarren, from Old English tyrwan

First Known Use: before 12th century

Tar

geographical name \ˈtär\

Definition of TAR

river 215 miles (346 kilometers) NE North Carolina — see pamlico

TAR[1] Defined for Kids

¹tar

noun \ˈtär\

Definition of TAR for Kids

: a thick dark sticky liquid made from wood, coal, or peat

: a substance (as one formed by burning tobacco) that resembles tar

²tar

verb

tarredtar·ring

Definition of TAR for Kids

: to cover with or as if with tar

Medical Dictionary

tar

noun \ˈtär\

Medical Definition of TAR

: 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

: 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)