tarry

¹

[ tar-ee ]

verb (used without object)

, tar·ried, tar·ry·ing.

1. to remain or stay, as in a place; sojourn:

   He tarried in Baltimore on his way to Washington.

   Synonyms: abide, stop, lodge, rest

   Antonyms: leave

2. to delay or be tardy in acting, starting, coming, etc.; linger or loiter.
3. to wait.

verb (used with object)

, tar·ried, tar·ry·ing.

1. Archaic. to wait for.

noun

, plural tar·ries.

1. a stay; sojourn.

tarry

²

[ tahr-ee ]

adjective

, tar·ri·er, tar·ri·est.

1. of or like tar; smeared with tar.

tarry

/ ˈtærɪ /

verb

1. intr to delay in coming or going; linger
2. intr to remain temporarily or briefly
3. intr to wait or stay
4. archaic.
   tr to await

noun

1. rare.
   a stay

Derived Forms

• ˈtarrier, noun

Other Words From

• tarri·er noun
• un·tarried adjective
• un·tarry·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tarry¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English taryen “to delay,” tary “a delay”; origin unknown

Origin of tarry²

First recorded in 1545–55; tar ¹ + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of tarry¹

C14 tarien, of uncertain origin

Synonym Study

See wait.

Example Sentences

But we could not tarry long there out in the open.

From Literature

The ticking watch urged him not to tarry.

From Literature

His stiff blue shorts were striped with tarry blackness.

From Literature

In the western province of Alberta, where many ferocious wildfires burned, huge deposits of thick crude oil, mixed with tarry sand, sit beneath the forest and near the snaking Athabasca River.

From Washington Times

But thick mats of tarry petroleum asphalt cover portions of sandbars, oil-speckled rocks and bushes line the shore and the wreckage of a tank car juts from the middle of the river.

From Seattle Times