tarp

noun

ˈtärp How to pronounce tarp (audio)
plural tarps
: a piece of material (such as durable plastic or waterproofed canvas) used especially for protecting exposed objects or areas : tarpaulin
The crewmen competed for a place to stand beneath the small tarp that covered part of the narrow deck.—Matt Potts
This house, half of it's all burned up. They live there, the burned part's covered with a tarp, with their dogs, and they must have at least ten.—Katya Reno

Examples of tarp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The resources include generators, fuel, flood barriers, pallets of bottled water, shelf-stable meals, flood buckets, tarps, Tiger Dams, and sandbags. — Sergio Candido, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 Usually, the Rays put a tarp over the seats in the upper deck. — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 And there, Guadagnino says, gesturing to a section covered by a red tarp, is where his team built the men’s bathrooms where some computer scientists have a pissing contest. — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026 Veterans, retirees and lawmakers spoke out — against its scale, its cost, its lack of Congressional approval, its gaudiness, its intrusion on nearby Arlington National Cemetery and more — next to a mockup made of tarp. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tarp

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tarp was in 1906

Rhymes for tarp

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Browse Nearby Words

tarot
tarp
tarpan
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Cite this Entry

“Tarp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tarp. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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