tin

[ tin ]
See synonyms for tin on Thesaurus.com
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. Symbol: Sn; atomic weight: 118.69; atomic number: 50; specific gravity: 7.31 at 20°C.

  1. any shallow pan, especially one used in baking.

  2. any pot, box, can, or other container or vessel made of tin or tin plate.

  3. Chiefly British. a hermetically sealed can containing food.

  4. 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.

  5. British Slang. money.

adjective
  1. made or consisting of tin or tin plate.

  2. false; worthless; counterfeit: a set of tin values.

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

verb (used with object),tinned, tin·ning.
  1. Metallurgy.

    • to cover or coat with tin.

    • to coat with soft solder.

  2. Chiefly British. to preserve or pack (especially food) in cans; can.

  1. 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.

Origin of tin

1
before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, Old Norse tin,German Zinn; (v.) Middle English tinnen, derivative of the noun

Other words from tin

  • tinlike, adjective
  • re·tin, verb (used with object), re·tinned, re·tin·ning.

Words Nearby tin

Other definitions for TIN (2 of 2)

TIN
[ tin ]

noun
  1. taxpayer identification number.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tin in a sentence

  • And I will turn my hand to thee, and I will clean purge away thy dross, and I will take away all thy tin.

  • Otherwise, a child's box of tin soldiers sent by post would have been just the thing for the Dardanelles landing!

  • He watched the man put some bread and milk in a tin pan, and set it down on the floor of the basket.

    Squinty the Comical Pig | Richard Barnum
  • All the bamboo clappers, cocoanut shells, tin pans, and red flags that could be found were seized and put into use.

  • Another manner of punishment consists in making them wear a tin mask, which is fastened with a lock behind.

British Dictionary definitions for tin

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: Related adjectives: stannic, stannous

  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

  1. any container made of metallic tin

  2. fill her tins NZ to complete a home baking of cakes, biscuits, etc

  3. Also called: tinful the contents of a tin or the amount a tin will hold

  4. British, Australian and NZ corrugated or galvanized iron: a tin roof

  5. any metal regarded as cheap or flimsy

  6. British a loaf of bread with a rectangular shape, baked in a tin

  7. slang money

  8. it does exactly what it says on the tin it lives up to expectations

verbtins, tinning or tinned (tr)
  1. to put (food, etc) into a tin or tins; preserve in a tin

  2. to plate or coat with tin

  1. to prepare (a metal) for soldering or brazing by applying a thin layer of solder to the surface

Origin of tin

1
Old English; related to Old Norse tin, Old High German zin

Derived forms of tin

  • tinlike, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for tin

tin

[ tĭn ]


Sn
  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. See Periodic Table. See Note at element.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.