tan

verb \ ˈtan \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of tan

tanned; tanning

transitive verb

1 : to make (skin) tan especially by exposure to the sun

2 a : to convert (hide) into leather by treatment with an infusion of tannin-rich bark or other agent of similar effect

b : to convert (protein) to leather or a similar substance

3 : thrash, whip

intransitive verb

: to get or become tan

See tan defined for English-language learners

See tan defined for kids

Recent Examples of tan from the Web

The restaurant is a long, rectangular stucco building, tan all over except for a few white protrusions.

— nate berg, Curbed, "McDonald’s 2.0," 11 Apr. 2018
Basal-cell carcinoma affects the deepest layer of the skin, generally in areas that come into the most contact with UV rays present in sunlight, tanning beds and sunlamps.

— kashmira gander, Newsweek, "What Is Basal-cell Carcinoma?: Caitlyn Jenner Has Sun Damage Removed From Her Nose," 21 Mar. 2018
Since more than 40 percent of all sunbed usage occurs in sites other than tanning salons – such as gyms, hair salons, and private homes – banning all minors from tanning salon will not necessarily reduce anyone’s risk.

— shari rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "Too young to tan? Bill could prohibit tanning salons for those under age 18," 29 Jan. 2018
And yet this version of the classic tote has enough style to be useful on the trail or in the city, with its chocolate brown, tactile boot-grade waterproof suede tanned by the Horween Leather Company in Chicago.

— max berlinger, GQ, "The Best Totes Hold All Your Stuff and Look Smart Over Your Shoulder," 26 Jan. 2018
According to authorities, Neatherlin drugged the children with sleeping-aid melatonin before leaving the facility to tan and work out.

— mary bowerman, USA TODAY, "Oregon day care worker gets 21 years for drugging kids with melatonin so she could tan, workout," 12 Mar. 2018
Still heavily sun-tanned from weeks at sea, Mr. Kang described how after departing the port of Chongjin in the northeast of North Korea around Sept. 15, the crew lost control of the boat because of equipment failures and bad weather.

— chieko tsuneoka and alastair gale, WSJ, "Trial of a Shipwrecked North Korean Calls Attention to Sanctions," 9 Mar. 2018
There's nothing worse than getting tanning lotion on your clothes.

— elizabeth denton, Seventeen, "8 Mistakes You're Making When Applying Self Tanner," 24 July 2015
The prince, tanned from the couple’s Mexican sojourn, was wearing his dark blue admiralty uniform and sword.

— sandiegouniontribune.com, "Queen Elizabeth visits San Diego," 26 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tan

Middle English tannen, from Anglo-French tanner, from Medieval Latin tannare, from tanum, tannum tanbark

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

tan Synonyms

Synonyms

bash, bat, batter, beat, belabor, belt, birch, bludgeon, buffet, bung up, club, drub, flog, hammer, hide, lace, lash, lick, maul, mess (up), paddle, pelt, pommel, pound, pummel, punch out, rough (up), slate, slog, switch, thrash, thresh, thump, wallop, whale, whip, whop (or whap), whup, work over;

blackjack, cane, cowhide, flagellate, horsewhip, leather, pistol-whip, rawhide, scourge, strap;

gore, lacerate, wound;

maim, mangle, mutilate;

Phrases

beat up on;

tan

adjective

Definition of tan

tanner; tannest

1 : of the color tan

2 : of, relating to, or used for tan or tanning

See tan defined for English-language learners

Examples of tan in a Sentence

I can't believe how tan she is!
a horse with tan markings

Recent Examples of tan from the Web

Gonzalez said Apollo, a brown and tan German Shepard, is four years old and weighs in at about 75 pounds.

— linda gandee/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "K-9 proves a hit with the Rocky River Citizen Police Academy class; juvenile crimes are involving more social media," 26 Feb. 2018
The Black Star member, donning a sharp black suit and tan top-hat followed up, kicking into a smooth flow, slowly progressing in pace as the tune went on.

— wandera hussein, Billboard, "Talib Kweli & BJ The Chicago Kid Get Soulful with 'The One I Love' on 'The Late Show': Watch," 30 Jan. 2018
Sgt Hefferin observed the suspect vehicle a tan Dodge Ram 2500 stopped for the light at the 5200 Bellaire W/B and Bissonnet.

— Houston Chronicle, "Bellaire Police report," 30 Oct. 2017
Even people who have naturally modestly tan skin have far more protection than those without any tan at all.

— emily matchar, Smithsonian, "Researchers Give Skin Cells a Tan—Without the Sun," 13 June 2017
The first sign of a sod webworm outbreak is the appearance of large numbers of small, tan or gray moths fluttering around lawns and beds in mid- to late summer.

— dan gill, NOLA.com, "How to spot, prevent and control sob webworms in your lawn," 29 July 2017
The woman thought the light brown or tan sedan in her carport at 12:15 p.m. belonged to a relative, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "Person of interest sought in robbery of elderly woman," 21 July 2017
Even people who have naturally modestly tan skin have far more protection than those without any tan at all.

— emily matchar, Smithsonian, "Researchers Give Skin Cells a Tan—Without the Sun," 13 June 2017
The bread was excellent, and in ways that resisted comparison — tall and tan and sweet as brioche, but softer inside, more supple.

— tejal rao, New York Times, "Before Croissants, There Was Kubaneh, a Jewish Yemeni Delight," 22 June 2017

First Known Use of tan

1586

tan

noun

Definition of tan

1 : a brown color imparted to the skin especially by exposure to the sun

2 : a light yellowish brown

3 tans plural : tan-colored articles of clothing

4 : a tanning material or its active agent (such as tannin)

See tan defined for English-language learners

Examples of tan in a Sentence

I got a tan on my vacation.

Recent Examples of tan from the Web

Someone smashed the rear passenger window of a vehicle in a parking lot and stole a tan and beige Gucci purse, a black Prada purse and a Louis Vuitton purse.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "CRIME," 12 Apr. 2018
Once known as Red White & Blue Beach, the 5-acre stretch of sand gave sunbathers a chance to get a tan all over their bodies until the beach and campsite shut down in the 2006, according to sfgate.com.

— david caraccio, sacbee, "This is the 175-acre Santa Cruz ranch and former nudist beach on market for $35 million," 27 Mar. 2018
Belying the stereotype of patrician yachtsmen with jaunty caps swilling drinks and getting tan, ocean sailing can be extraordinarily dangerous.

— victor mather, New York Times, "Sailor in Round-the-World Race Is ‘Lost at Sea’," 27 Mar. 2018
Little will change elsewhere in the interior, apart from with special SVR logos throughout and four new specialized color themes (variations on red, tan, and black).

— hannah elliott, Bloomberg.com, "Jaguar Doubles Down on Power With New F-Pace SVR SUV," 27 Mar. 2018
The robber then fled the scene in the woman's vehicle, identified as a 2007 tan Chevrolet Tahoe, police say.

— wbtv, charlotteobserver, "Woman carjacked, punched in the face at a McDonald's in south Charlotte," 26 Mar. 2018
Warrant, Brecksville Road: On Jan. 4, police observed a tan Chrysler PT Cruiser with a loud exhaust driving westbound on Fitzwater Drive.

— john benson, cleveland.com, "Chagrin Falls woman arrested for drunken driving: Brecksville Police Blotter," 1 Feb. 2018
Meldman, a genial Midwesterner with a boyish smile and a California tan, comes across as relaxed, astute, and confident.

— christopher mason, Town & Country, "The Evolution of the Private Vacation Club," 17 Oct. 2016
In the library room, a pair of brown leather armchairs face a tufted tan leather sofa in the reading area.

— kelsey kloss, ELLE Decor, "House Tour: Blogger Will Taylor Takes Us Inside Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Hollywood Chic Home," 29 Apr. 2016

Origin and Etymology of tan

French, tanbark, from Old French, from Medieval Latin tanum

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1674

See Words from the same year

tan

abbreviation

Definition of tan

tangent

TAN Defined for English Language Learners

tan

verb

Definition of tan for English Language Learners

: to cause (skin) to become darker especially from being exposed to the sun's rays
: to become darker especially from being exposed to the sun's rays
: to change (the skin of an animal) into leather by a chemical process

tan

adjective

Definition of tan for English Language Learners

: having skin that has been made darker by being exposed to the sun's rays
: having a light brown color

tan

noun

Definition of tan for English Language Learners

: a browning of the skin that is caused by the sun's rays
: a light brown color

TAN Defined for Kids

tan

verb \ ˈtan \

Definition of tan for Students

tanned; tanning

1 : to change animal hide into leather especially by soaking in a tannin solution

2 : to make or become brown in color

She doesn't tan. Instead, she gets a sunburn.

3 : ¹beat 1, thrash

tan

adjective

Definition of tan for Students

tanner; tannest

: of a light yellowish brown color

tan

noun

Definition of tan for Students

1 : a brown color given to the skin by the sun or wind

2 : a light yellowish brown : the color of sand

Medical Dictionary

tan

verb \ ˈtan \

medical Definition of tan

tanned; tanning

transitive verb

: to make (skin) tan especially by exposure to the sun

intransitive verb

: to get or become tanned

tan

noun

medical Definition of tan

: a brown color imparted to the skin by exposure to the sun or wind

Learn More about tan

See words that rhyme with tan Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tan Spanish Central: Translation of tan Nglish: Translation of tan for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tan for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tan

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up tan? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

tan

Definition of tan

Recent Examples of tan from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tan

tan Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Phrases

tan

Definition of tan

Examples of tan in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tan from the Web

First Known Use of tan

tan

Definition of tan

Examples of tan in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tan from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tan

tan

Definition of tan

Phrases Related to TAN

Related Phrases

TAN Defined for English Language Learners

tan

Definition of tan for English Language Learners

tan

Definition of tan for English Language Learners

tan

Definition of tan for English Language Learners

TAN Defined for Kids

tan

Definition of tan for Students

tan

Definition of tan for Students

tan

Definition of tan for Students

Medical Dictionary

tan

medical Definition of tan

tan

medical Definition of tan

Learn More about tan

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Going Greek: 7 Words from the Greek Alphabet

'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Trending: Trump: Den of Thieves and 'Lowlifes'

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes