tar

¹

[ tahr ]

noun

1. any of various dark-colored viscid products obtained by the destructive distillation of certain organic substances, as coal or wood.
2. coal-tar pitch.
3. smoke solids or components:

   cigarette tar.

verb (used with object)

, tarred, tar·ring.

1. to smear or cover with or as if with tar.

adjective

1. of or characteristic of tar.
2. covered or smeared with tar; tarred.

tar

²

[ tahr ]

noun

, Informal: Older Use.

1. a sailor.

   Synonyms: gob, seafarer

tar

¹

/ tɑː /

noun

1. an informal word for seaman

tar

²

/ tɑː /

noun

1. any of various dark viscid substances obtained by the destructive distillation of organic matter such as coal, wood, or peat
2. another name for coal tar

verb

1. to coat with tar
2. tar and feather
   to punish by smearing tar and feathers over (someone)
3. tarred with the same brush
   regarded as having the same faults

tar

/ tär /

1. A dark, oily, viscous material, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons, produced by the destructive distillation of organic substances such as wood, coal, or peat.
2. See coal tar
3. A solid, sticky substance that remains when tobacco is burned. It accumulates in the lungs of smokers and is considered carcinogenic.

Derived Forms

• ˈtarriness, noun
• ˈtarry, adjective

Other Words From

• non·tarred adjective
• un·tarred adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tar¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun ter, terr(e), Old English teru, teoru, taru; cognate with Dutch, German teer, Old Norse tjara; akin to tree; verb derivative of the noun

Origin of tar²

First recorded in 1670–80; perhaps short for tarpaulin

Word History and Origins

Origin of tar¹

C17: short for tarpaulin

Origin of tar²

Old English teoru; related to Old Frisian tera, Old Norse tjara, Middle Low German tere tar, Gothic triu tree

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. beat / knock / whale the tar out of, Informal. to beat mercilessly:

   The thief had knocked the tar out of the old man and left him for dead.

2. tar and feather,
   1. to coat (a person) with tar and feathers as a punishment or humiliation.
   2. to punish severely:

      She should be tarred and feathered for what she has done.

3. tarred with the same brush, possessing the same shortcomings or guilty of the same misdeeds:

   The whole family is tarred with the same brush.

More idioms and phrases containing tar

In addition to the idiom beginning with tar , also see beat the living daylights (tar) out of .

Synonym Study

See sailor.

Example Sentences

Initially believed to be tar balls, they were in fact a "disgusting" combination of human faeces, cooking oil, chemicals and illicit drugs, researchers say.

From BBC

By his next stop in the Tar Heel state, the 78-year-old appeared even more exhausted, turning in what local outlet NC Newsline described as a “disjointed” appeal for votes in the small city of Kinston.

From Salon

I’ve had a thing for the slow-moving sloth ever since my first to visit the La Brea Tar Pits in the mid-1990s.

From Los Angeles Times

News of the cavalry’s gassing and trampling of civilians — the slain including an infant born during the nationwide march of the so-called Bonus Army — would dominate the front pages and tar Hoover’s public image through the presidential campaign.

From Los Angeles Times

The Tar Heels had won 10 national championships, including four in the previous five years.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• besmirch
• blight
• cloud
• corrupt
• damage
• discredit
• harm
• hurt
• infect
• muddy
• poison
• pollute
• smear
• spoil
• stain
• sully
• tarnish