tarpaulin
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tarpaulin
- /tɑˈpɔː.lɪn/ UK
- /ˈtɑːɹpəlɪn/ US
- /tɑɹˈpɔ.lɪn/ US
Rhymes with -ɔːlɪn
Where it comes from
From tar + pall (“heavy canvas”) + -ing. The sailor sense reflects that sailors of centuries past often wore garments made of tarred cloth (for weatherproofing).
noun tarpaulins
- A heavy, waterproof sheet of material, often cloth or plastic sheet, used as a cover or blanket (often as weatherproofing, or to keep loose cargo from blowing off a lorry). Throw a tarpaulin over that woodpile before it gets wet.
- Canvas waterproofed with tar, used as a cover.
-
A hat made of, or covered with, painted or tarred cloth, worn by sailors and others.
Near-synonym: rain hat
Similar: rain hat
-
A sailor.
—Chews coca all day long, the communicative tarpaulin added.
Similar: tar
verb tarpaulins · tarpaulining · tarpaulined
- To cover with a tarpaulin. "Cover it up! Don't touch it!" said the Professor. So we tarpaulined it according to his instructions, and there it lies.
Translations
Every language
noun any heavy, waterproof material used as a cover
| Español | lona |
|---|---|
| Português | lona |
| Français | bâche |
| Italiano | telone |
| Русский | тент tɛnt |
| עברית | בְּרֶזֶנְט brezént |
noun heavy, waterproof sheet of material
| Español | lona alquitranada, lona impermeable, lona, toldo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 타프 tapeu, 방수포 bangsupo |
| 日本語 | タープ tāpu, ターポリン tāporin |
| 中文 | 油布 yóubù, 防水布 fángshuǐbù, 苫布 shànbù |
| हिन्दी | तिरपाल tirpāl, ताड़पत्री tāṛpatrī |
| Português | encerado, oleado, lona |
| Français | bâche |
| Deutsch | Persenning, Plane, Abdeckplane |
| Italiano | telone impermeabile, tela cerata |
| Ελληνικά | μουσαμάς mousamás |
| Română | prelată |
| Русский | брезе́нт brezént |
| Tiếng Việt | bạt |
| עברית | בְּרֶזֶנְט brezént |
noun canvas waterproofed with tar, used as a cover
| Français | bâche, prélart |
|---|---|
| Italiano | incerata, tela incatramata |
| עברית | אַבַּרְזִין abarzín |
Talk about this word "tarpaulin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tarpaulin. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tarpaulin. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tarpaulin "tarpaulin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tarpaulin.Cite this
@misc{tarpaulin_2026,
title = {tarpaulin},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tarpaulin},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
