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tan

tan

40 1.0
A light brown colour like leather
  • noun
  • /tæn/
translation icon : beige
  • Light filtered through the tan canvas of the tent, creating a dusky gloom inside.
  • light tan
  • pinks and tans

I would go with like a tan, like a brown sand color.

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Examples

  • On the bedspread was a large tan smudge, where our cat liked to spend the afternoons.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • To me, the hilltop looks like a lifeless jumble of tan boulders.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Did you see a little tan dog?

  • I would go with like a tan, like a brown sand color.

  • Apparently ready to go, he was already holding a tan summer jacket across his arm.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • This is the shade tan light, so pretty.

  • Wait here, I'm gonna go put on my new suit so you can see how tan I am now.

  • I really like the kind of beige tan color of these pumpkins.

  • I'm wearing a light blue short-sleeved shirt, tan shorts, and black shoes.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The walls of the cozy living room were painted a warm tan color, making the space feel inviting.

Synonyms

caramel
vstan
6 2.3

A medium to dark tan color like brown sugar

is a lighter pale brown rather than medium or darker tones
buff
vstan
4 6.8

A medium to dark tan color like undyed leather

is a lighter pale brown rather than medium or dark shades
topaz
vstan
1 5.3

A light yellow brown color like the gemstone

is a plain light brown like slightly sun-darkened skin
warm brown
vstan
1 1.7

A brown colour with red or yellow tones that looks cosy

is a plain light brown without strong reddish or yellowish undertones
2.6

A medium to dark brown color like caramel

is a lighter pale brown rather than medium or dark shades
pardo
vstan
9.9

A dull brown and gray color like dry earth

is a cleaner light brown without gray or muted tones

Antonyms

1.0

A very light color that reflects most visible light like snow

1.0

Very dark in color like coal or the night

Idioms

9.5

To punish someone very harshly, often by hitting or scolding them

Compounds

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 drink made by pouring dark beer over pale beer so two layers stay separate

A pattern of black and tan colors on an animal's fur, often on dogs

A large strong American hunting dog with black fur and tan marks that hunts raccoons

A small short-haired dog with black and tan fur used to hunt rats

farmer's tan
  • Informal
7.8

A dark mark on the skin showing where clothing does not cover you in the sun

How Tan

deep brown
2 1.0
brown
939 1.0
tan
40 1.0
beige
17 1.0

Surface Forms

tan singular
tans plural

Etymology

The colour tan is named after tanned leather: the bark and the process made leather a light brown, so people used that brown to name the colour tan. That is why tan now means a light, warm brown.