tarry

1 of 3

verb

tar·​ry ˈter-ē 

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

: stay, sojourn

tarry

3 of 3

adjective

tar·​ry ˈtär-ē 

: of, resembling, or covered with tar

Synonyms

Verb

• abide
• dwell
• hang around
• remain
• stay
• stick around

Noun

• sojourn
• stay
• visit

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

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

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

Kids Definition

tarry

1 of 2 verb

tar·​ry ˈtar-ē 

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