tart
1 Americanadjective
-
sharp to the taste; sour or acid.
Tart apples are best for pie.
- Synonyms:
- piquant, acrid, astringent
-
sharp in character, spirit, or expression; cutting; biting.
a tart remark.
- Synonyms:
- acrimonious, acerbic, caustic, barbed, sarcastic
noun
-
a small pie filled with cooked fruit or other sweetened preparation, usually having no top crust.
-
a covered pie containing fruit or the like.
-
Slang. a prostitute or sexually promiscuous woman.
verb phrase
adjective
-
(of a flavour, food, etc) sour, acid, or astringent
-
cutting, sharp, or caustic
a tart remark
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
- tartish adjective
- tartishly adverb
- tartly adverb
- tartness noun
- tarty adjective
Etymology
Origin of tart1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English teart “sharp, rough”; akin to Dutch tarten “to defy,” Middle High German traz “defiance”
Origin of tart2
First recorded in 1350–1400; 1905–10 tart 2 for def. 3; Middle English tarte, from Middle French; compare Medieval Latin tarta
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Spices: Sumac is a great option because it’s acidic yet earthy, tart and slightly lemony, Chavez explains.
From Salon
Duane was not completely sure what any of that meant, but he did know that if there were to be sorbets, tarts, and aplomb to eat, it would have to wait for three more days.
From Literature
“It smells sweet,” said Bork, “but also kind of … bitter, like a tart berry. It’s hard to describe, but the smell is unmistakable and it’s all over you.”
From Literature
He said Crook's latest series is "quite incisive, it's not dreamy, he writes very funny lines, very tart and quite sardonic in their way".
From BBC
Coating cools while dripping from an arm, smiles askew send mixed signals, smeared eyes like they’d been up late partying with the tarts, blemishes, cracked sugary skin.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
