tanning

1 of 2

noun

tan·​ning ˈta-niŋ How to pronounce tanning (audio)
Synonyms of tanningnext
1
: a browning of the skin especially by exposure to sun
2
: the art or process by which a skin is tanned
3
: a sound spanking
4
: a natural darkening and hardening of the cuticle of an insect immediately after molting

tanning

2 of 2

present participle of tan entry 1

Examples of tanning in a Sentence

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.
Noun
Her car was found the following day with the decal for her tanning business scraped off the window, and her cellphone was recovered from a lake south of Orlando, according to police. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 Bethany and David recognized that shift early and have built a brand that makes self-tanning feel much more like modern prestige skin care. — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026 The woman had been a member of the gym for more than seven years and regularly used its tanning facilities, according to a statement from the Dallas law firm Rogge Dunn Group. — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026 Recent sunburn, tanning, outdoor work, and upcoming travel or events. — Malana Vantyler, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tanning

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of tanning was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing tanning

Rhymes for tanning

See All Rhymes for tanning

Browse Nearby Words

tannined
tanning
tanning bed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tanning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tanning. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

tanning

noun
tan·​ning
ˈtan-iŋ
1
: the art or process by which an animal skin is tanned
2
: a browning of the skin especially by exposure to the sun
3
: a usually severe whipping

Medical Definition

tanning

noun
tan·​ning ˈtan-iŋ How to pronounce tanning (audio)
: a browning of the skin by exposure to sun

More from Merriam-Webster on tanning

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tanning

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tanning

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All