tar

1 of 3

noun

ˈtär 

1

a

: a dark brown or black bituminous usually odorous viscous liquid obtained by destructive distillation of organic material (such as wood, coal, or peat)

b

: a substance in some respects resembling tar

especially : a condensable residue present in smoke from burning tobacco that contains combustion by-products (such as resins, acids, phenols, and essential oils)

2

[short for tarpaulin] : sailor

tar

2 of 3

verb (1)

tarred; tarring

transitive verb

1

: to cover with tar

2

: to defile as if with tar

least tarred by the scandal

—Newsweek

tar

3 of 3

verb (2)

ˈtär 

variants or tarre

tarred; tarring; tars or tarres

transitive verb

: to urge to action

—usually used with on

Phrases

tar and feather

: to smear (a person) with tar and cover with feathers as a punishment or indignity

tar with the same brush

: to mark or stain with the same fault or characteristic

Synonyms

Noun

• gob
• hearty
• jack
• jack-tar
• mariner
• navigator
• sailor
• salt
• sea dog
• seafarer
• seaman
• shipman
• swab
• swabbie [slang]
• swabby

Examples of tar in a Sentence

Noun

a book about the adventurous lives of tars, skippers, and pirates of the 18th century

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Memphis got to 48 wins because, aside from two early losses to Brooklyn, the Grizzlies reliably beat the tar out of bad teams. —John Hollinger, New York Times, 2 May 2025

In some ways, lung recovery from vaping may be quicker than quitting smoking because vaping does not produce tar build-up. —Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 27 Feb. 2025

Verb

Politics is transactional, though if another Republican endorsed Graham, they'd be tarred and feathered. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025

That includes being tarred in an ad campaign by United for a Brighter Tomorrow, a group that has blasted him for his COVID record and past political blunders. —Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English terr, tarr, from Old English teoru; akin to Old English trēow tree — more at tree entry 1

Verb (2)

Middle English terren, tarren, from Old English tyrwan

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tar

• coal tar
• jack-tar
• juniper tar
• pine tar
• tar and feather
• tar baby
• tar paper
• tar pit
• tar sand
• tar with the same brush

Rhymes for tar

• ar
• are
• bar
• barr
• car
• carr
• char
• charr
• czar
• far
• farre
• haar

Kids Definition

tar

1 of 2 noun

ˈtär 

1

a

: a dark usually thick sticky liquid obtained by distilling wood, coal, or peat

b

: a substance that resembles tar

especially : a sticky substance that is formed by burning tobacco

2

: sailor

tarlike

-ˌlīk

adjective

tar

2 of 2 verb

tarred; tarring

: to smear with or as if with tar

Medical Definition

tar

noun

ˈtär 

1

: any of various dark brown or black bituminous usually odorous viscous liquids obtained by destructive distillation of organic material (as wood, coal, or peat)

especially : one used medicinally (as to treat skin diseases) see coal tar, juniper tar, pine tar

2

: a substance in some respects resembling tar

especially : a condensable residue present in smoke from burning tobacco that contains combustion by-products (as resins, acids, phenols, and essential oils)

Geographical Definition

Tar

geographical name

ˈtär 

river 215 miles (346 kilometers) long in northeastern North Carolina see pamlico