Definition of "tar" []

• A dark, oily, viscous material, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons, produced by the destructive distillation of organic substances such as wood, coal, or peat. (noun)
• Coal tar. (noun)
• A solid residue of tobacco smoke containing byproducts of combustion. (noun)
• To coat with or as if with tar. (verb-transitive)
• Tar and feather To punish (a person) by covering with tar and feathers. (idiom)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Acne artificialis is a term applied to an acne or acne-like eruption produced by the ingestion of certain drugs, as the bromides and iodides, and by the external use of tar; this is also called _tar acne_."
• "The term "tar baby" is widely regarded as a racial slur."
• "This is not the first time a member of Congress has come under fire for using the term "tar baby.""