1
: a browning of the skin especially by exposure to sun
2
: the art or process by which a skin is tanned
3
: a sound spanking
4
: a natural darkening and hardening of the cuticle of an insect immediately after molting
Examples of tanning in a Sentence
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Scientists from Northwestern Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco wanted to better understand the relationship between indoor tanning and cancer development, particularly with these machines rising in popularity among younger generations.
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New Atlas, 15 Dec. 2025
Most were younger women, which makes sense, because studies have shown that young women in their teens and 20s are the heaviest users of indoor tanning, says study co-author Hunter Shain, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco.
—Maria Godoy, NPR, 14 Dec. 2025
Those of us who participated in the tanning salon craze of the 2000s (guilty), have been reckoning with that for years.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 12 Dec. 2025
In Addison’s, patients experience permanent discoloration that results in the tanning of the skin across their bodies.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
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New Atlas, 15 Dec. 2025
Most were younger women, which makes sense, because studies have shown that young women in their teens and 20s are the heaviest users of indoor tanning, says study co-author Hunter Shain, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco.
—Maria Godoy, NPR, 14 Dec. 2025
Those of us who participated in the tanning salon craze of the 2000s (guilty), have been reckoning with that for years.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 12 Dec. 2025
In Addison’s, patients experience permanent discoloration that results in the tanning of the skin across their bodies.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tanning
Cite this Entry
“Tanning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tanning. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
tanning
noun
tan·ning
ˈtan-iŋ 
: a browning of the skin by exposure to sun
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