tin

1 of 3

noun

1
: a soft faintly bluish-white lustrous low-melting crystalline metallic element with atomic number 50 that is malleable and ductile at ordinary temperatures and that is used especially in containers, as a protective coating, in tinfoil, and in soft solders and alloys
often used before another noun
tin cans
a tin roof
see Chemical Elements Table
2
plural tins
a
: a box, can, pan, vessel, or a sheet made of tinplate
broadly : such a container of any metal (such as aluminum)
b
: a metal container and its contents
a tin of tomatoes
tin adjective
tinful noun

tin

2 of 3

verb

tinned; tinning

transitive verb

1
: to cover or plate with tin or a tin alloy
2
: to put up or pack in tins : can
tinned peaches

TIN

3 of 3

abbreviation

taxpayer identification number

Examples of tin in a Sentence

Noun row upon row of tins containing food for an emergency that never happened
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Get The Recipe 06 of 29 Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls Bourbon balls are an old-fashioned favorite for the holidays, and this recipe makes two dozen of them to fill those pretty Christmas cookie tins. Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2024 The same theater worker says the better-looking tin buckets, like the Creed III tin, can leak butter through their bottom edges. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2024 From the brand’s inception, the Victorian-style tin containers have been branded with a religious yet morbid design: a dead lion surrounded by bees. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024 The Bruce’s Beach Park plaque is made of bronze, which is roughly 88% copper and 12% tin. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 31 Jan. 2024 Indicated Tin Zone Mineral Resource of 1.4 million tonnes grading 0.72% tin, containing: 22 million pounds of tin. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Feb. 2024 Ingredients 2 oz Baileys Chocolate Liqueur 1 oz Don Julio Blanco Tequila 0.5 oz simple syrup 3 fresh strawberries (sliced) 2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters Methods: Add 3-5 strawberries to a cocktail tin and muddle. Jillian Dara, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The limited-edition bucket is made out of tin with a detachable lid that resembles the giant, toothy creatures (or Shai-Hulud) of the desert planet Arrakis. Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024 Moments later, the rear of one of the vehicle crashes through a windowed garage door, which collapses like tin foil, as the thieves open a path for what would be the theft of nine vehicles from Fields Jaguar Land Rover Volvo Waukesha, 1901 E. Moreland Blvd. Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
Verb
Briny tinned fish and salted butter are served as accoutrements for crackers and fresh bread. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 Add remaining ingredients to tin, shake and fine strain into coupe glass. Jillian Dara, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Hearts of palm—those tinned, briny, squeaky stalks from the pickle aisle—made their way into innumerable pasta, salad, and dip recipes of the late ’90s and early aughts. Antara Sinha, Bon Appétit, 28 Aug. 2023 To be in on the food scene is to be a part of a cool-kids club—dirty martini in one hand and tinned fish in the other. Kris Martins, Glamour, 10 Aug. 2023 The store’s shelves are stocked with sausages, many-layered honey cake, tinned sprats from Latvia, and other Eastern European goods. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2023 Everything was raw or pickled or tinned, set out family-style in the middle of the table. Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023 Established in Boston in 2016, the restaurant is known for its high-quality oysters, lobster, caviar, tinned fish and cocktails. Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023 Then strip and tin the black and red wires. Connect the power lead Solder the red and black wires to the end of the LED strip, observing polarity. Bradley Ford, Popular Mechanics, 28 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German zin tin

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tin was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near tin

Cite this Entry

“Tin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tin. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tin

1 of 2 noun
1
: a soft shiny bluish white metallic element that is used in combination with other metals, as a protective coating, and in tinfoil see element
2
a
: a container made of metal (as tinplate)
a pie tin
b
: a sealed can holding food
tin adjective

tin

2 of 2 verb
tinned; tinning
1
: to cover or plate with tin or a mixture of tin with another metal
2
: to put up or pack in tins : can

Medical Definition

tin

noun
: a soft faintly bluish white lustrous low-melting crystalline metallic element that is malleable and ductile at ordinary temperatures and that is used as a protective coating, in tinfoil, and in soft solders and alloys
symbol Sn
see Chemical Elements Table

Legal Definition

TIN

abbreviation
taxpayer identification number

More from Merriam-Webster on tin

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