tar paper

noun

: a heavy paper coated or impregnated with tar for use especially in building

Examples of tar paper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web From then on, the jewels would be locked in a black leather case measuring 39 by 31 by 20 centimeters, then covered with tar paper and sealed with 11 seals. Elisabetta Caprotti, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2024 The company, based in Mesa, Ariz., is holding off on hiring contractors until the cost of materials like shingles and tar paper come back down. Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 2 Sep. 2023 Apply tar paper as a waterproof base over the plywood roof, then use roofing nails to secure the shingles to the plywood. Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2023 Conditions at the time were squalid: people in the neighborhoods surrounding Madrid, Barcelona, Gijón, and Bilbao lived in shacks made of wood, tar paper, and corrugated tin; those fortunate enough to find steady work often resided in boardinghouses. Adrian Nathan West, The New York Review of Books, 7 Sep. 2022 Today, a raggedy blue tarp dangles on the side of the building, while ripped brick red tar paper exposes rotted and faded wooden walls. Ernie Suggs, ajc, 16 Nov. 2022 That same year, a two-room tar paper shack with no insulation or plumbing cost $60 a month (about $730 today). David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 26 June 2022 Halfway between them was a shack made of pinewood and tar paper, where foremen presided by day and watchmen by night, protecting bricks, lumber, reinforcing rods, nails, wood screws, and double-point staples from thieves who would come to take them. John McPhee, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2022 Ripping shingles, tar paper and timbers from the roofs of houses, uprooting trees and demoralizing traffic, a miniature tornado swept through the city at midnight last night. Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2021

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

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tar paper was in 1886

Dictionary Entries Near tar paper

Cite this Entry

“Tar paper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tar%20paper. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

tar paper

noun
: a heavy paper coated with or soaked in tar for use especially in building
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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