1
: a plaid textile design of Scottish origin consisting of stripes of varying width and color usually patterned to designate a distinctive clan
2
a
: a twilled woolen fabric with tartan design
b
: a fabric with tartan design
3
: a garment of tartan design
Examples of tartan in a Sentence
a kilt in the clan's tartan
Recent Examples on the Web
At the heart of the fun and flirty brand is a sense of family, right down to the mini- and maxi-length kilts featuring the Bute family tartan.
—
Violet Goldstone, WWD, 23 Oct. 2024
These tartan Mama Bear slippers are bound to be a hit with any mother figure in your life.
—Esme Benjamin, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2024
Brooke Shields brought the plaids, checks and tartan trend to Forbes’ 50 over 50 celebration in New York on Friday.
—Hannah Malach, WWD, 27 Oct. 2024
The princess wore a dark green wide-brimmed hat with feathers on the side and a brown tartan checked coat, while William wore a dark suit for the occasion.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tartan 
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.
Violet Goldstone, WWD, 23 Oct. 2024
These tartan Mama Bear slippers are bound to be a hit with any mother figure in your life.
—Esme Benjamin, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2024
Brooke Shields brought the plaids, checks and tartan trend to Forbes’ 50 over 50 celebration in New York on Friday.
—Hannah Malach, WWD, 27 Oct. 2024
The princess wore a dark green wide-brimmed hat with feathers on the side and a brown tartan checked coat, while William wore a dark suit for the occasion.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tartan
Dictionary Entries Near tartan
Cite this Entry
“Tartan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tartan. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tartan
noun
tar·tan
ˈtärt-ᵊn 
1
: a plaid textile design of Scottish origin
2
: a fabric or garment with tartan design
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share