tans

verb

present tense third-person singular of tan
1
as in hides
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 licks
to strike repeatedly a time when children were routinely tanned for misbehavior

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tans
  1. hides
  2. licks
  3. whips
  4. pounds
  5. slashes
  6. lashes
  7. flicks
  8. pelts
Verb
  • More than 60 miles into the Andaman Sea, South Asia’s only active volcano hides a thriving underwater world shaped by fire and teeming with life.
    — Avantika Chaturvedi, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Its story follows the Forgers, a household that keeps up the appearance of an ordinary life while each member hides something.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of hides
Verb
  • That glib self-confidence is present in McNamara, who licks the doughnut glaze off his fingers before offering his hand to the female detective questioning the one living Jason.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Later, a woman protractedly licks blue ice cream from a cone, her attempts thwarted by ferocious gusts of wind and sand.
    — Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of licks
Verb
  • Shutters bang, screen doors slam; the wind whips them all into a frenzy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Paddling along the shoreline of a small lake in the wilderness, as pine and spruce trees hover over the dark water’s edge and the wind whips waves against the canoe, a human knows her place.
    — Story Hinckley, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of whips
Verb
  • Wyatt pounds Poly, but win or lose the Chaps would be the second seed and Brewer third due to Wyatt’s win over the Bears.
    — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Higher prices come as Ukraine pounds Russian refineries, forcing Moscow to ban diesel exports.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of pounds
Verb
  • At room temperature, this microscopic waiting room slashes charge loss by a 75% compared to conventional materials.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Using a sharp knife, make crosswise slashes every 2 in [5 cm] along the body, cutting down to the bone.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of slashes
Verb
  • Her glam was equally gorgeous—fluttery lashes with a smooth complexion thanks to L’Oréal Paris’s Age Perfect Anti-Aging Midnight Cream Moisturizer.
    — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Alpha 1, who’s most strict about the disease’s suppression, lashes out uncontrollably.
    — Cortlyn Kelly, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of lashes
Verb
  • Caputo, a former Air Force fighter pilot, flicks the control stick hard left, then right.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Fernandes then flicks the ball to his team-mate and Mainoo rattles the woodwork, with Anderson unable to block the shot.
    — Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of flicks
Verb
  • Not so much because Paul puts on-again, off-again partner Dakota Mortensen into a headlock and then pelts him with metal bar stools — sadly, this is a scene that would not be out of place on many reality shows — but because a small child is in the room.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Definition of pelts
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.

Browse Nearby Words

tanning
tans
tantalize
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Cite this Entry

“Tans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tans. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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