From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtantan1 /tæn/ verb (tanned, tanning) 1 [intransitive, transitive]HBH if you tan, or if the sun tans you, your skin becomes darker because you spend time in the sun She has a pale skin which doesn’t tan easily.2 [transitive]TIM to make animal skin into leather by treating it with tannin (=a kind of acid)→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
tan• In the four days he seemed to have filled out and tanned.• Chrome leather: leather which is tanned solely with chromium salts.• We cut the fur, tan the hides, and sew them.• I don't tan well - I just get red.tantan2 noun 1 [countable]HBH the attractive brown colour that someone with pale skin gets after they have been in the sun SYN suntan I wish I could get a tan like that.2 [uncountable] a light yellowish-brown colourExamples from the Corpus
tan• Fact: A tan indicates that your skin has already been damaged.• Her skin had that smooth all-the-year-round dark tan you sometimes run into in California.• Come holidays abroad it became the thing to sport a deep tan.• You can afford to have your teeth done, a false tan, your hair done at Vidal Sassoon.• The best and longest-lasting tans are acquired slowly - quick tans are usually fast burns and peel off in a trice.• Monica got a nice tan during her trip.• Sources close to the team said tans will be banned next season.get ... tan• Since sunscreens offer relative, not absolute protection, most of us can get a tan using high-protection filters.• He has got a tan from his Christmas holiday.• At least she won't get a tan there.• I had started to see the countries we visited as more than just exotic places to get a tan.• They say as long as you get a tan, that's ok.tantan3 adjective 1 having a light yellowish-brown colour tan shoes2 American English having darker skin after spending time in the sun SYN tanned She arrived home tan and rested.Examples from the Corpus
tan• Shannon's face is really tan.• She dressed modestly in a blue pantsuit covered by a tan all-weather coat.• But the unit will retain a distinctive identity by having tan berets.• No beard, no tan car.• As she pulled on a tan leather blouson, she eyed me warily, and I returned the compliment.• An extremely battered-looking tan leather flying-jacket completed the outfit.• Most waters have dark bottoms, and a brown or tan line is most suitable.• It started off with a tan scrim in front.Origin tan1 (900-1000) Old French tanner, from Medieval Latin tannare, from tanum; → TAN2 tan2 1. (1600-1700) French Medieval Latin tanum “plant substance used for tanning leather”2. tangent 