to tan
7
1.0
- verb
- /tæn/
:
broncearse
- Thank goodness my legs tan so well.
- skin tans
- tan easily
- tan or burn
Oh, but I'm in Copacabana, tanning up for Santa.
- Oh, but I'm in Copacabana, tanning up for Santa.
Examples
-
I go outside to tan, and I know I'm only supposed to do 15 minutes a side, but then I think, "Oh, maybe a little more," and then I see the redness and know I'm in for it.
Fiction book (2002) -
I'm just going to stay here and tan.
-
And a fun fact, I tan really easily.
-
We're going to tan a little.
-
I tan well, but it was too much for one day.
Blog text (1) -
And is there, like, a lot of sun where I can tan?
-
Be patient when trying to tan because the body needs time to adjust to the sun.
Blog text (11) -
Don't you wanna tan your face?
-
Like I say, she's got red hair, green eyes, but the weird thing is she tans really well.
Fiction book (1991) -
After spending the afternoon at the beach, I always tan under the bright sun.
Synonyms
50
2.0
To make something a darker color by heat, for example when cooking or in the sun
8
1.4
To sit or lie outside in strong light to get warm
6
2.9
To sit or lie in the sun to make your skin brown
3
4.7
Make skin brown or golden, often in the sun
To become dark when a living thing makes melanin
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
1
9.9
A member of a British force who helped the police in Ireland to stop the independence movement, 1919–1921
1
9.9
A Chinese gambling game where players bet on how many counters remain under a bowl after grouping them by four
A large strong American hunting dog with black fur and tan marks that hunts raccoons
- Informal
A dark mark on the skin showing where clothing does not cover you in the sun
How Dark
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb tan (to become brown in the sun) grew from the older verb tan, which meant 'to treat skins to make leather' and made them brown. That's why to tan in the sun means to make your skin brown, as if it were being tanned like leather.