tin

1 of 3

noun

1
: a soft faintly bluish-white lustrous low-melting crystalline metallic element with atomic number 50 that is malleable and ductile at ordinary temperatures and that is used especially in containers, as a protective coating, in tinfoil, and in soft solders and alloys
often used before another noun
tin cans
a tin roof
see Chemical Elements Table
2
plural tins
a
: a box, can, pan, vessel, or a sheet made of tinplate
broadly : such a container of any metal (such as aluminum)
b
: a metal container and its contents
a tin of tomatoes
tin adjective
tinful noun

tin

2 of 3

verb

tinned; tinning

transitive verb

1
: to cover or plate with tin or a tin alloy
2
: to put up or pack in tins : can
tinned peaches

TIN

3 of 3

abbreviation

taxpayer identification number

Examples of tin in a Sentence

Noun row upon row of tins containing food for an emergency that never happened
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Mining of both zinc and tin zones commence together with each feeding separate processing plants. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Feb. 2024 To keep the matcha fresh, store your tin inside a resealable plastic bag. Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 26 Feb. 2024 The museum, a 200-year-old shack with a tin roof, was once Hurt’s home. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024 The product’s old logo will continue to be used on Lyle’s classic golden syrup tin, though its bottles and dessert toppings will all now bear the new branding. Oscar Holland, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024 This bundle comes with your choice of eight iconic flavors and the cute tin, which is roomy enough to hold the generously sized cookies, can be refilled endlessly. Lois Alter Mark, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 Get The Recipe 06 of 29 Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls Bourbon balls are an old-fashioned favorite for the holidays, and this recipe makes two dozen of them to fill those pretty Christmas cookie tins. Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2024 The same theater worker says the better-looking tin buckets, like the Creed III tin, can leak butter through their bottom edges. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2024 From the brand’s inception, the Victorian-style tin containers have been branded with a religious yet morbid design: a dead lion surrounded by bees. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
Briny tinned fish and salted butter are served as accoutrements for crackers and fresh bread. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 Add remaining ingredients to tin, shake and fine strain into coupe glass. Jillian Dara, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Hearts of palm—those tinned, briny, squeaky stalks from the pickle aisle—made their way into innumerable pasta, salad, and dip recipes of the late ’90s and early aughts. Antara Sinha, Bon Appétit, 28 Aug. 2023 To be in on the food scene is to be a part of a cool-kids club—dirty martini in one hand and tinned fish in the other. Kris Martins, Glamour, 10 Aug. 2023 The store’s shelves are stocked with sausages, many-layered honey cake, tinned sprats from Latvia, and other Eastern European goods. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2023 Everything was raw or pickled or tinned, set out family-style in the middle of the table. Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023 Established in Boston in 2016, the restaurant is known for its high-quality oysters, lobster, caviar, tinned fish and cocktails. Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023 Then strip and tin the black and red wires. Connect the power lead Solder the red and black wires to the end of the LED strip, observing polarity. Bradley Ford, Popular Mechanics, 28 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tin.' 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, from Old English; akin to Old High German zin tin

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near tin

Cite this Entry

“Tin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tin. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tin

1 of 2 noun
1
: a soft shiny bluish white metallic element that is used in combination with other metals, as a protective coating, and in tinfoil see element
2
a
: a container made of metal (as tinplate)
a pie tin
b
: a sealed can holding food
tin adjective

tin

2 of 2 verb
tinned; tinning
1
: to cover or plate with tin or a mixture of tin with another metal
2
: to put up or pack in tins : can

Medical Definition

tin

noun
: a soft faintly bluish white lustrous low-melting crystalline metallic element that is malleable and ductile at ordinary temperatures and that is used as a protective coating, in tinfoil, and in soft solders and alloys
symbol Sn
see Chemical Elements Table

Legal Definition

TIN

abbreviation
taxpayer identification number

More from Merriam-Webster on tin

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