tarpaulin
a protective covering of canvas or other material waterproofed with tar, paint, or wax.
a hat, especially a sailor's, made of or covered with such material.
Rare. a sailor.
Origin of tarpaulin
1Words Nearby tarpaulin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use tarpaulin in a sentence
The 840-denier nylon tarpaulin TPU—a material commonly used in whitewater-rafting gear—resists punctures and abrasions.
Runner-Up Review: The Hunting Gear That Almost Made Our 2022 Winter Buyer’s Guide | agintzler | October 26, 2021 | Outside OnlineMade from thick vinyl tarpaulin, this tent is designed to withstand extreme weather year-round.
Best bike storage: Wall mounts, bike hooks, and more bike storage ideas | empire | July 20, 2021 | Popular-ScienceOn Tuesday, the group witnessed a convoy of 43 unmarked green military trucks with tarpaulin covers moving towards Donetsk.
Thousands of Putin’s Troops Now in Ukraine, Analysts Say | Shane Harris | November 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen we were kids and some rain would come up, the fans would jump out of the stands to help spread the tarpaulin on the field.
The Great Paul Hemphill Celebrates the Long Gone Birmingham Barons | Paul Hemphill | March 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAlina Vergana, 41, was sitting beneath a tarpaulin stretched to keep off the burning sun.
Typhoon Haiyan: The Philippine Village that Lost Its Men | The Telegraph | November 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The statue of Joe Paterno has been removed, covered in a blue tarpaulin and carted off into the dust and dark of storage.
Joe Paterno Was a Dictator: Penn State Deserved Its Punishment | Buzz Bissinger | July 24, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTA tarpaulin stretched from wheel to wheel of the wagon shut out the driving rain that fled in sheets before the whooping wind.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairThere was a rip and a crack, and the released tarpaulin was a hundred yards away, flapping grotesquely over the sandhills.
Mushroom Town | Oliver OnionsThe tarpaulin hung like a sheet between the Little Douvre and the bark, and sunk in the water.
Toilers of the Sea | Victor HugoThere was a large tarpaulin in the launch, and this Alan wrapped about the girl's shoulders.
The Fire People | Ray CummingsThe lads found that a pair of blankets had been assigned to each of them, with an ordinary wagon sheet doubled for a tarpaulin.
The Pony Rider Boys in Texas | Frank Gee Patchin
British Dictionary definitions for tarpaulin
/ (tɑːˈpɔːlɪn) /
a heavy hard-wearing waterproof fabric made of canvas or similar material coated with tar, wax, or paint, for outdoor use as a protective covering against moisture
a sheet of this fabric
a hat of or covered with this fabric, esp a sailor's hat
a rare word for seaman
Origin of tarpaulin
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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