: a soft faintly bluish-white lustrous low-melting crystalline metallic element that is malleable and ductile at ordinary temperatures and that is used especially in containers, as a protective coating, in tinfoil, and in soft solders and alloys see Chemical Elements Table
2
a
: a box, can, pan, vessel, or a sheet made of tinplate
broadly: such a container of any metal (such as aluminum)
Noun row upon row of tins containing food for an emergency that never happened
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Instead, campers build solar ovens, using cardboard boxes lined with tin foil to cook their s’mores.Anchorage Daily News, 3 July 2022 Let cool in the tin on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a butter knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 2 June 2022 Now, at last, the wealth seeking is printed on the tin. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2022 This hand cream set from La Chatelaine includes three lovely scents (plus a pretty tin to store them in!). Corinne Sullivan, Good Housekeeping, 6 Sep. 2022 According to the distillery, Camp Nelson C was made from timber and tin and located on top of a hill, allowing air to circulate freely and naturally regulate temperatures, providing an excellent maturation environment. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 30 Aug. 2022 Dress up any room—or tabletop—with a vintage tin votive tray or cupcake pan. Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2022 Open on the same block since 1920, Nom Wah Tea Parlor is a time warp wrought from tile floors, lipstick-red booths, a pressed tin ceiling and slender mirrored columns. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022 At 16 Yeoh moved from Ipoh, a former tin-mining town, to England to study dance. Amy Nicholson, Town & Country, 17 Aug. 2022
Verb
Worries that new economic lockdowns will erode demand from the world’s largest commodity consumer have dragged aluminum and tin down more than 17% from their recent all-time highs. Hardika Singh, WSJ, 3 May 2022 As an exclusive offering of this store, customers can create unique mixes of their favorite squares then customize a bag or tin with a personal photo and message, created and printed instantly in store. Chelsea Davis, Forbes, 2 June 2022 The basic template is simple: Fill the dish or tin with a combination of meat, vegetables or cheese, then crack in an egg and season with spices and herbs. Casey Barber, CNN, 15 Apr. 2022 Add IPA to tin, then strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with a grapefruit peel. Jason O'bryan, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2021 From motorcycles in India to tin in Malaysia, Forbes Asia holds fast to its long-term commitment to covering Asia’s rise in the global business community. Justin Doebele, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2021 Chicken includes hen; masculine has two: male and man; and container holds can and tin. Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Aug. 2021 That Altoids tin with just a bunch of, like, random pills in it, like candy? Jessica Goldstein, Vulture, 29 July 2021 And a sharp rise in commodity prices, from copper to tin to lumber, on surging demand from a rebounding China and the U.S., could help producers across Africa and Latin America post strong economic growth and repair beleaguered public finances. Joe Parkinson, WSJ, 18 May 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German zin tin
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1