tar

tar¹ [ta: US ta:r] n [U]

[: Old English; Origin: teoru]

1.) a black substance, thick and sticky when hot but hard when cold, used especially for making road surfaces

→↑coal tar

2.) a sticky substance that forms when tobacco burns, and that gets into the lungs of people who smoke

▪ high tar cigarettes

tar ²

tar² past tense and past participle tarred present participle tarring

v [T]

1.) to cover a surface with tar

▪ a tarred roof

2.) be/get tarred with the same brush

if someone is tarred with the same brush as someone else, people think they have the same faults or have committed the same crimes, even if they have not

▪ You've made it very clear that you think I'm tarred with the same brush as William.

3.) tar and feather

to cover someone in tar and feathers as a cruel unofficial punishment