tarp
Americannoun
acronym
noun
Etymology
Origin of tarp
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; by shortening
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A memorial that has sprung up in front of the bar, loaded with flowers, candles and messages of grief and support, was covered in an igloo-like tarp Thursday to protect it from the heavy snowfall.
From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026
Mr. Wink conjures a land of “trees like skyscrapers, like celestial tent pegs pounded into the earth to hold the black tarp of the sky in place.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
A bright orange tarp, meant to serve as a tent, kept ripping loose in the wind.
From Salon • Nov. 21, 2025
The family stretched out the blankets they had brought with them and slept under the tarp.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 12, 2025
“We’ll call Uncle Solly from the general store,” Mom said, spreading out a tarp over the snowy ground.
From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
