Tarzan
Americannoun
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the hero of a series of jungle stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
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a person of superior or superhuman physical strength, agility, and prowess.
noun
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By extension, a “Tarzan” is a macho male, figuratively thumping his chest to get attention.
The adventures of Tarzan have been chronicled in countless books, comic strips, animated cartoons, radio and television series, and motion pictures.
Etymology
Origin of Tarzan
C20: after the hero of a series of stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs
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.
Sometimes I was Daniel Boone; then there would be spells of Davy Crockett, Kit Carson, the Last of the Mohicans, and Tarzan of the Apes.
From Literature
Told that Tarzan is a fictional character, Sibby replies, “I wouldn’t be so sure. They did make a movie about his life.”
From Los Angeles Times
"He jumped in a bush, then jumped on a rock, then somehow came down a tree. I call him Tarzan now," she said.
From BBC
Later, she gave Goodall books about animals and adventure — especially the Doctor Dolittle tales and Tarzan.
From Los Angeles Times
Skarsgård has incredible range as an actor, as he has also played "Tarzan" and a war hero in "Generation Kill," but his portrayal of villains tends to stand out more.
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.
