1
: a plaid textile design of Scottish origin consisting of stripes of varying width and color usually patterned to designate a distinctive clan
2
a
: a twilled woolen fabric with tartan design
b
: a fabric with tartan design
3
: a garment of tartan design
Examples of tartan in a Sentence
a kilt in the clan's tartan
Recent Examples on the Web
From Ikebana studios in Kyoto to leather workshops in Florence and tartan looms in Stirling, a growing number of trips now build entire itineraries around a single craft.
—
Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026
As Queen Elizabeth's rooms at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh open to the public for the first time, visitors will likely come across a tiny teddy bear wearing a tartan scarf and hat, set on the sofa in the late monarch's private apartments.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 22 May 2026
On the inside, like any good GTI, there are sports seats and a sporty steering wheel, but VW has also given the interior a nod to the classic GTI tartan seat trim.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Hosted on Connect, the challenge asks participants to reinterpret the house’s signature corsetry and tartan in CLO and Marvelous Designer, with final looks rendered in Unreal Engine using MetaHuman tools.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tartan
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Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026
As Queen Elizabeth's rooms at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh open to the public for the first time, visitors will likely come across a tiny teddy bear wearing a tartan scarf and hat, set on the sofa in the late monarch's private apartments.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 22 May 2026
On the inside, like any good GTI, there are sports seats and a sporty steering wheel, but VW has also given the interior a nod to the classic GTI tartan seat trim.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Hosted on Connect, the challenge asks participants to reinterpret the house’s signature corsetry and tartan in CLO and Marvelous Designer, with final looks rendered in Unreal Engine using MetaHuman tools.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tartan
Cite this Entry
“Tartan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tartan. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tartan
noun
tar·tan
ˈtärt-ᵊn 
1
: a plaid textile design of Scottish origin
2
: a fabric or garment with tartan design
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