tent

noun

\ ˈtent

Definition of tent

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a collapsible shelter of fabric (such as nylon or canvas) stretched and sustained by poles and used for camping outdoors or as a temporary building

2 : dwelling

3a : something that resembles a tent or that serves as a shelter especially : a canopy or enclosure placed over the head and shoulders to retain vapors or oxygen being medically administered

b : the web of a tent caterpillar

tent

verb (1)

tented; tenting; tents

Definition of tent (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

1 : to reside for the time being : lodge

2 : to live in a tent

transitive verb

1 : to cover with or as if with a tent

2 : to lodge in tents

tent

verb (2)

tented; tenting; tents

Definition of tent (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

chiefly Scotland

: to attend to

Other Words from tent Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about tent

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Synonyms for tent

Synonyms: Noun

awning, canopy, ceiling, cover, roof

Examples of tent in a Sentence

Noun

a huge tent was erected for the outdoor wedding reception

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Most staked out their space on Saturday, and returned Monday morning to set up tents, lawn chairs, tables and grills in preparation for July 3 festivities. — Samantha West, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Many camp out before lakefront fireworks every year. But it's not all about the fireworks.," 3 July 2018 With the morning sun still hanging low in the sky, a teenage boy in a bright yellow T-shirt stands at the crossroads of Mission Road and Southwest Boulevard, setting up a tent full of fireworks and other explosives. — Shaun Goodwin, kansascity, "This Kansas City man uses basketball as a vehicle for faith and hope," 2 July 2018 Possible alternatives could include setting up tents outside prison facilities or adding cots to provide enough space for overflow inmates. — Washington Post, "Idaho governor: Inmates won’t be housed in barracks," 2 July 2018 In the crevasse, Paleski set up a tent, packing snow around it to block the wind. — Marc Lester, Anchorage Daily News, "Weeks after her wedding day, a Polish climber survives a 1,000-foot slide from a Denali ridge," 6 June 2018 As if its building-full of rustic farmhouse-style merchandise weren’t enough, the Vintage Marketplace at Glenwood invites 25 more home decor vendors every year to set up tents on its grounds for Vintagepalooza. — Lane Page, Howard County Times, "Home decor vendors show off old finds at Vintagepalooza in Glenwood," 5 June 2018 Bevel had set up a tent to help runners stretch for the big race and offer massages to athletes and spectators alike. — Gloria Casas, Elgin Courier-News, "'It's a real community event': Hundreds participate in Elgin Valley Fox Trot," 26 May 2018 The Maduro government, which used food as a powerful incentive to urge hungry Venezuelans to support him, set up tents run by government stalwarts to urge people to vote. — New York Times, "As Trump Adds Sanctions on Venezuela, Its Neighbors Reject Election Result," 21 May 2018 Those who rented their land could continue to plant crops, graze sheep and camels, and set up tents during the summer. — Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, "In rural Jordan, pulling power from the wind to make change on the ground," 3 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Leave a Note Shinde is one of Botswana’s iconic luxury tented camps, refurbished in 2015 and located on the edge of the permanent waters of the Okavango Delta. — Condé Nast Traveler, "Shinde Enclave," 25 Aug. 2017 A rival group, the Worker’s Ex-Servicemen League, Communist vets at odds with Waters’s group, tented at 14th and D streets in Southwest Washington. — Terence Mcardle, Washington Post, "The veterans were desperate. Gen. MacArthur ordered U.S. troops to attack them.," 28 July 2017 Sherwood’s home has been tented so that sulfuryl fluoride, a poisonous, odorless gas, can be sprayed inside. — Bill Hanna, star-telegram, "Exterminating rare termites in Fort Worth home takes extreme measures," 27 June 2017 Outside, two tented stages will provide three days of musical performances. — Melinda Morris, NOLA.com, "Satchmo SummerFest announces lineup and a dance room with A/C," 27 June 2017 The design is suspended 30 feet above ground and features tented structures atop a mesh platform. — Elizabeth Stamp, CNN, "The architects throwing out the rulebook on hotel design," 15 June 2017 One morning this week, Markowski watched workers hoeing the rich soil between rows of tobacco beneath acres of tenting on his family's West Suffield farm. — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, "Foreign Competition, Labor Costs Push Connecticut Shade Tobacco Farmers To The Edge," 15 June 2017 Like Top Gear, the car segments are filmed around the world, along with the addition of audience segments, thanks to the show's mobile tented studio. — Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY, "'Grand Tour' host Richard Hammond escapes fiery crash in Switzerland," 10 June 2017 The 37,000-acre spread will open its sixth tented camp, North Bank Camp, on the Blackfoot River this month. — Compiled By Elaine Glusac, star-telegram.com, "Where to travel now if you’re yearning to explore the great outdoors," 7 June 2017

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

History and Etymology for tent

Noun

Middle English tent, tente "collapsible shelter of animal skins or fabric used by nomads, shelter, dwelling," borrowed from Anglo-French tente, going back to Vulgar Latin *tenta, noun derivative from feminine of Latin tentus, tensus, past participle of tendere "to extend outward, stretch" (or from Vulgar Latin *tendita, re-formation of the participle) — more at tender entry 3

Verb (1)

derivative of tent entry 1

Verb (2)

Middle English tenten "to look after, see to, watch over," noun derivative of tent, tente "intention, purpose, heed," short for entente, intente intent entry 1

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