tin

¹

[ tin ]

noun

1. Chemistry. a low-melting, malleable, ductile metallic element nearly approaching silver in color and luster: used in plating and in making alloys, tinfoil, and soft solders. : Sn; : 118.69; : 50; : 7.31 at 20°C.
2. tin plate.
3. any shallow pan, especially one used in baking.
4. any pot, box, can, or other container or vessel made of tin or tin plate.
5. Squash. telltale ( def 8 ).
6. Chiefly British. a hermetically sealed can containing food.
7. Slang. a small quantity of an illicit drug, especially from two to five grams of cocaine: usually sold in a small plastic bag, a glassine envelope, or often a small tin container.
8. British Slang. money.

adjective

1. made or consisting of tin or tin plate.
2. false; worthless; counterfeit:

   a set of tin values.

3. indicating the tenth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

verb (used with object)

, tinned, tin·ning.

1. Metallurgy.
   1. to cover or coat with tin.
   2. to coat with soft solder.
2. Chiefly British. to preserve or pack (especially food) in cans; can.
3. to cover (windows and doors in an abandoned or unoccupied building or apartment) with sheets of tin to prevent vandalism or occupancy by vagrants, squatters, etc.

TIN

²

[ tin ]

noun

1. taxpayer identification number.

tin

/ tɪn /

noun

1. a metallic element, occurring in cassiterite, that has several allotropes; the ordinary malleable silvery-white metal slowly changes below 13.2°C to a grey powder. It is used extensively in alloys, esp bronze and pewter, and as a noncorroding coating for steel. Symbol: Sn; atomic no: 50; atomic wt: 118.710; valency: 2 or 4; relative density: 5.75 (grey), 7.31 (white); melting pt: 231.9°C; boiling pt: 2603°C stannicstannous
2. Also called (esp US and Canadian)can an airtight sealed container of thin sheet metal coated with tin, used for preserving and storing food or drink
3. any container made of metallic tin
4. fill her tins
   to complete a home baking of cakes, biscuits, etc
5. Also calledtinful the contents of a tin or the amount a tin will hold
6. corrugated or galvanized iron

   a tin roof

7. any metal regarded as cheap or flimsy
8. a loaf of bread with a rectangular shape, baked in a tin
9. slang.
   money
10. it does exactly what it says on the tin
    it lives up to expectations

verb

1. to put (food, etc) into a tin or tins; preserve in a tin
2. to plate or coat with tin
3. to prepare (a metal) for soldering or brazing by applying a thin layer of solder to the surface

tin

/ tĭn /

1. A malleable, silvery metallic element that occurs in igneous rocks. It has a crystalline structure and crackles when bent. Tin is used as an anticorrosion agent and is a part of numerous alloys, including bronze. Atomic number 50; atomic weight 118.71; melting point 231.89°C; boiling point 2,270°C; specific gravity 7.31; valence 2, 4.
2. See Periodic Table See Note at element

Derived Forms

• ˈtinˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• tinlike adjective
• re·tin verb (used with object) retinned retinning

Word History and Origins

Origin of tin¹

before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, Old Norse tin, German Zinn; (v.) Middle English tinnen, derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tin¹

Old English; related to Old Norse tin, Old High German zin

Example Sentences

There, Dorothy met characters like the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man who joined her on her quest to see the Wizard of Oz so she could return home.

From BBC

He likened Clark’s skills to those of Johnny Mercer, the Tin Pan Alley icon who wrote “Moon River” and co-founded Capitol Records in 1942.

From Los Angeles Times

According to Huffington Post reporter Jonathan Nicholson, he responded to the news with an incredulous "Are you sh**tin' me?"

From Salon

Family friends recommended Kendamil, which costs £15 a tin and lasts his son about a week.

From BBC

"I was writing about six people trapped in a tin can. It felt like there was something resonant about that and our experience of lockdown, of not being able to escape each other and also not being able to get to other people."

From BBC

Related Words

• gold
• iron
• metal
• mineral
• platinum