tent

1 of 3

noun

1
: a collapsible shelter of fabric (such as nylon or canvas) stretched and sustained by poles and used for camping outdoors or as a temporary building
2
3
a
: something that resembles a tent or that serves as a shelter
especially : a canopy or enclosure placed over the head and shoulders to retain vapors or oxygen being medically administered
b
: the web of a tent caterpillar
tentless adjective
tentlike adjective

tent

2 of 3

verb (1)

tented; tenting; tents

intransitive verb

1
: to reside for the time being : lodge
2
: to live in a tent

transitive verb

1
: to cover with or as if with a tent
2
: to lodge in tents

tent

3 of 3

verb (2)

tented; tenting; tents

transitive verb

chiefly Scotland
: to attend to

Examples of tent in a Sentence

Noun a huge tent was erected for the outdoor wedding reception
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Muslim students prayed and organizers took down tent poles at around 1:30 p.m., laying the gear flat on the ground in response to university requests to take down tent structures. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024 After a tent encampment popped up Thursday at Indiana University Bloomington, police with shields and batons shoved into protesters and arrested 33. CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024 But after the wave of arrests, many students returned to the campus, setting up tents once again. Bill Chappell, NPR, 26 Apr. 2024 That got Rachel, 19, a Columbia student who asked to be identified only by her first name because of fear of retaliation or suspension by the school, off the fence and into one of the tents that pro-Palestinian demonstrators had raised on the campus in upper Manhattan. Isa Farfan, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024 The current wave of protests was inspired by events at Columbia University in New York, where police cleared an encampment and arrested more than 100 people last week, only for students to defiantly put up tents again, in an area where many are set to graduate in front of families in a few weeks. Steve Leblanc, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2024 The 40-year-old rapper, who was a special treat just for second-weekend fans at the coveted music festival in Indio, California, played to an overflowing Sahara tent crowd. Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 24 Apr. 2024 But just because residents, business owners and tourists are seeing fewer tents downtown doesn’t mean homelessness is being reduced. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024 Guests were shepherded from cocktail hour down to the beach where there was an open-air tent. Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
Verb
But while the setting was ideal, the conditions were not: The temperature reached nearly 100 degrees that day and lots of feisty bees were buzzing around the chefs’ workstations, which were not tented under the blazing sun. Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024 How to serve leg of lamb Transfer the meat to a cutting board and loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil over it. Lucinda Scala Quinn, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024 Overlooking the backyard, a furnished covered patio can be used year-round, while 5,000 square feet of terracing includes an outdoor kitchen, fire pit, swimming pool, and tented cabana that’s complete with a television. Mark David, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2024 Standalone tented suites as well as a two-bedroom villa sit in perfect harmony with the valley, while rafting and kayaking await beyond. Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Feb. 2024 Held in place by clothespins, the covers can be suspended from roof gutters and tented over tender plants close to the house. Debbie Arrington, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024 Bake coffee cake: Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes, tenting with foil after 35 minutes if needed to prevent excessive browning. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2023 If the skin begins to darken too much, tent the turkey loosely with aluminum foil. Sean Sherman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Nov. 2023 Its bumper was almost fully detached; its hood was tented; some of its airbags had deployed. WIRED, 17 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tent.' 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 tent, tente "collapsible shelter of animal skins or fabric used by nomads, shelter, dwelling," borrowed from Anglo-French tente, going back to Vulgar Latin *tenta, noun derivative from feminine of Latin tentus, tensus, past participle of tendere "to extend outward, stretch" (or from Vulgar Latin *tendita, re-formation of the participle) — more at tender entry 3

Verb (1)

derivative of tent entry 1

Verb (2)

Middle English tenten "to look after, see to, watch over," noun derivative of tent, tente "intention, purpose, heed," short for entente, intente intent entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

circa 1608, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tent was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near tent

Cite this Entry

“Tent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tent. Accessed 2 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

tent

1 of 2 noun
1
: a portable shelter (as of nylon) stretched and supported by poles
2
a
: something that resembles a tent or that serves as a shelter
especially : an enclosure placed over the head and shoulders to hold in oxygen or vapors given for medical reasons
an oxygen tent
b
: the web of a tent caterpillar

tent

2 of 2 verb
1
: to live in a tent
2
: to cover with or as if with a tent

Medical Definition

tent

noun
: a canopy or enclosure placed over the head and shoulders to retain vapors or oxygen during medical administration

More from Merriam-Webster on tent

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