tab

tab¹ [tæb] n

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1¦(in typing)¦

2¦(money that you owe)¦

3 pick up the tab

4¦(to open)¦

5¦(small piece of paper/plastic etc)¦

6

7 keep (close) tabs on somebody/something

8¦(drug)¦

9¦(cigarette)¦

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[Sense: 1; Date: 1900-2000; Origin: tabulator 'tab key' (19-21 centuries), from tabulate]

[Sense: 2-3; Date: 1800-1900; Origin: Partly from table]

[Sense: 4-7, 9; Date: 1600-1700; Origin: Origin unknown.]

[Sense: 8; Date: 1900-2000; Origin: tablet]

1.) ¦(IN TYPING)¦

a ↑tab key

2.) ¦(MONEY THAT YOU OWE)¦

an amount of money that you owe, or a record of an amount of money that you owe

▪ The tab for the campaign was nearly $500 million.

▪ I'll put it on your tab and you can pay tomorrow.

▪ He ran up a $4000 tab in long-distance calls.

3.) pick up the tab

to pay for something, especially when it is not your responsibility to pay

▪ Taxpayers will pick up the tab for the stadium.

4.) ¦(TO OPEN)¦

a) especially AmE a small piece of metal that you pull to open a can of drink

British Equivalent: ring pull

b) a small piece of metal, plastic, or paper that you pull to open something

5.) ¦(SMALL PIECE OF PAPER/PLASTIC ETC)¦

a small piece of paper, cloth, plastic etc that sticks out from the edge of something, so that you can find it more easily

▪ an index tab labeled 'Blackman'

6.) also license tab AmE

a small piece of sticky plastic with a date on it that you put on your car's ↑license plate to show that the car is legally allowed on the road

7.) keep (close) tabs on sb/sth informal

to watch someone or something carefully to check what they are doing

▪ The police have been keeping tabs on Rogers since he got out of prison.

8.) ¦(DRUG)¦ informal

a form of the illegal drug ↑LSD or ↑ecstasy

▪ a tab of acid

9.) ¦(CIGARETTE)¦

BrE informal a cigarette

tab ²

tab² v past tense and past participle tabbed present participle tabbing [I]

to press the ↑tab key on a computer or ↑typewriter