tarp

noun

ˈtärp 

plural tarps

: a piece of material (such as durable plastic or waterproofed canvas) used especially for protecting exposed objects or areas : tarpaulin

The crewmen competed for a place to stand beneath the small tarp that covered part of the narrow deck.

—Matt Potts

This house, half of it's all burned up. They live there, the burned part's covered with a tarp, with their dogs, and they must have at least ten.

—Katya Reno

Examples of tarp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cover it with a tarp for the winter so water will not collect in the bowl or store it indoors in a shed or garage. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 12 Dec. 2025

The awning is made from a circular test tarp, while the signage reused lettering and wayfinders from Freitag’s factory in Oerlikon. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 11 Dec. 2025

Cornelius lived with his fiancée in a meager green tent draped with a blue tarp on Old Wheat Street, nestled between the King Historic District and downtown Atlanta. —Holly Yan, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025

Vast pools of this wastewater are covered in football field-sized tarps, which trap the solids that rise to the surface. —Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tarp

• carp
• harp
• scarp
• endocarp
• pericarp

Kids Definition

tarp

noun

ˈtärp 

: tarpaulin