1
as in to lash
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
Grandpa told us that when he was a kid, if he misbehaved at all, his father would tan his backside with a belt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
a time when children were routinely tanned for misbehavior
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tan
Too much sun—especially enough to tan or burn—can damage your skin and increase the risk of premature aging and skin cancer.
—
Allison Forsyth, Health, 20 Apr. 2026
Blond, blue-eyed and perpetually tanned, Harmon served as Groucho Marx’s assistant on the 1961 CBS game show Tell It to Groucho, then starred as a girl in Hawaii who gets mixed up in a robbery in the beach party movie One Way Wahine (1965).
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
The waste from a single large agave piña can produce enough biopolymers to co-formulate the retannage — an additional treatment after tanning where leather is exposed to chemicals or natural agents to fine-tune its feel — of roughly 80 hides.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2026
His skin is tanned, similar to a Lunarian king.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tan
Allison Forsyth, Health, 20 Apr. 2026
Blond, blue-eyed and perpetually tanned, Harmon served as Groucho Marx’s assistant on the 1961 CBS game show Tell It to Groucho, then starred as a girl in Hawaii who gets mixed up in a robbery in the beach party movie One Way Wahine (1965).
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
The waste from a single large agave piña can produce enough biopolymers to co-formulate the retannage — an additional treatment after tanning where leather is exposed to chemicals or natural agents to fine-tune its feel — of roughly 80 hides.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2026
His skin is tanned, similar to a Lunarian king.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tan
Verb
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This torturous ordeal marked Mee’s first time entering this cave, located in the foothills of a mining project near the village of Long Tieng, hours away from the nearest cities and on muddy roads that have been lashed by the rainy season.—
Kocha Olarn,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
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Putin is lashing out by intensifying assaults on civilian targets, especially in the capital city of Kyiv.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
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When the tiffin is returned licked clean, Ila sends another meal but with a note, leading to a rich correspondence between the two.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
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Just outside the room, Hadley eagerly licked it up.—
Laura Ungar,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Verb
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The wind whipped her face and her little legs stretched higher and higher, pulling her into orbit.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
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Last month, as a steady, pre-rainy season wind whipped off the Atlantic Ocean, the sounds of samba, morna and jazz filled the streets.—
Ricci Shryock,
NPR,
27 May 2026
Verb
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If not too bad, it can be ignored and new growth should hide the blemishes.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2026
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Buddy was hiding in the bushes on the side of a desolate highway when he was found by a good Samaritan and brought to a rescue.—
Maryanne Dell,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
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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
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The main space includes a custom kitchen with an induction Verona stove, leathered granite counters and a large copper farmhouse sink.—
Kaitlyn Keegan,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Israeli military early Thursday pounded Lebanon’s fourth largest city, killing at least 14 people across the south of the country in its ongoing military escalation against the Hezbollah group ahead of crucial talks in Washington.—
Kyla Guilfoil,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
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Fighter jets roared overhead, and air strikes pounded the surrounding hillsides, sending up thick plumes of acrid smoke.—
Euan Ward,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Police were pelted with chairs, cans, rocks and flares late Tuesday by some of the hundreds who attended a protest in the southern English coast city of Southampton, where Henry Nowak was killed in December.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
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Photos published on Sunday, May 31, show the happy couple in their wedding finery, leaving Old Marylebone Town Hall hand in hand a day earlier and being pelted with confetti.—
Kim Willis,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
Verb
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On Tuesday, Missouri Promise PAC released a video ad that depicted Missouri as a race car competing against other states to slash taxes on a NASCAR-style track.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
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Crosby, a deputy city attorney endorsed by the county Democratic Party, had sent mailers contending Bailey’s promises to reduce city spending would slash funding for parks, libraries and homeless shelters.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tan. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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