tarry

1 of 3

verb

tar·​ry ˈter-ē How to pronounce tarry (audio)
ˈta-rē
tarried; tarrying

intransitive verb

1
a
: to delay or be tardy in acting or doing
b
: to linger in expectation : wait
2
: to abide or stay in or at a place

tarry

2 of 3

noun

plural tarries

tarry

3 of 3

adjective

tar·​ry ˈtär-ē How to pronounce tarry (audio)
: of, resembling, or covered with tar

Examples of tarry in a Sentence

Verb Tarry with us a while. upon seeing the sun beginning to sink in the sky, we realized we had tarried too long on the summit of the mountain Noun a fable about the tarry of two Americans in a Scottish village that every century magically comes into existence for a day
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.
Verb
To avoid suspicion, the young men decided to tarry for a couple of days rather than cross into the neighboring socialist republic right away. Longreads, 6 July 2022 However, these birds do not tarry long. Matt Wyatt, ExpressNews.com, 10 Sep. 2020
Adjective
Often, Petite Sirah produces a wine that is too tarry, too dense, too chewy. Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, 1 Sep. 2020 Ingestion of sago palm leaves, seeds or other plant parts causes liver failure, usually signaled by drooling, vomiting, diarrhea or a tarry black stool, depression, appetite loss, abdominal pain, lethargy and jaundice. Kim Campbell Thornton, sacbee, 14 Mar. 2018 See all Example Sentences for tarry 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English tarien

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1552, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tarry was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near tarry

Cite this Entry

“Tarry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tarry. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

tarry

1 of 2 verb
tar·​ry ˈtar-ē How to pronounce tarry (audio)
tarried; tarrying
1
: to be slow in coming or going
2
: to stay in or at a place

tarry

2 of 2 adjective
tar·​ry
ˈtär-ē
: of, resembling, or covered with tar

More from Merriam-Webster on tarry

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!