Thesaurus results for TAN

tan

verb

ˈtan

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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as in to lick

to strike repeatedly a time when children were routinely tanned for misbehavior

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tan

Verb

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
Putin is lashing out by intensifying assaults on civilian targets, especially in the capital city of Kyiv.

— Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026