tin

¹ American  

[tin] / tɪn /

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.

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, tinning

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 American  

[tin] / tɪn /

noun

1. taxpayer identification number.

---

tin British  

/ 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

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. to complete a home baking of cakes, biscuits, etc

5. Also called: tinful.  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 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 Scientific  

/ 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

---

Other Word Forms

• retin verb (used with object)
• tinlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of tin

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

Example Sentences

Sela shrugged and poked through a round tin of beads with her fingertip.

From Literature

Dad always used to keep a tin of the candy in the console of his car, and I’d always sneak outside and pick out the pineapple ones.

From Literature

The company is known by its red-capped bottled spices and rectangular tins and owns brands including French’s yellow mustard, Old Bay seasoning and Cholula hot sauce.

From The Wall Street Journal

It covers the early production of bronze – a copper and tin alloy – up to the first uses of iron.

From BBC

It was rescued and saved by Rick Flagan, a professor of chemical engineering and environmental science, who found it in a tin film canister in a Caltech closet.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bottle
• bucket
• canister
• jar
• package