tin
Tin (noun) means a soft, silvery metallic element used especially to coat steel against rust. Example: “The roof was made of corrugated tin.”
How to use tin
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA metal element, or (especially in British English) a sealed food can or baking pan.
British English uses "tin" for what American English usually calls a "can" (of food) or "pan" (for baking).
Word forms
tinned past tense, tins plural, tins singular
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The roof was made of corrugated _____.
Etymology
From Old English tin, going back to a shared Germanic word for the metal.
Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “tin” mean?
The word “tin” means a soft, silvery metallic element used especially to coat steel against rust. In plain terms, a metal element, or (especially in British English) a sealed food can or baking pan.
How do you pronounce “tin”?
“Tin” is pronounced tihn (/tɪn/ in IPA).
How do you use “tin” in a sentence?
Here is “tin” used in a sentence: “The roof was made of corrugated tin.”
What is another word for “tin”?
Words with a similar meaning to “tin” include tinnen.
What part of speech is “tin”?
Depending on how it is used, “tin” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “tin” come from?
The word “tin” comes from Old English. From Old English tin, going back to a shared Germanic word for the metal.
Is “tin” a common word?
“Tin” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “tin” have?
“Tin” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a soft, silvery metallic element used especially to coat steel against rust.
What is the difference between a tin and a can?
They are the same thing: a sealed metal container used to preserve food. Tin is the usual word in British English ("a tin of beans"), while can dominates in American English; tinned food and canned food likewise mean the same.
Are tin cans actually made of tin?
Mostly not. Tin is a soft, silvery metal used especially as a thin coating over steel to stop it rusting, so a typical "tin" is steel with a protective tin layer rather than solid tin.
What is a tin in baking?
In British English, a tin is a metal pan used for baking or roasting, as in cake tin, loaf tin, and roasting tin. American English usually calls the same items pans, such as a cake pan or roasting pan.