1 tart | Definition of tart

tart

adjective
\ ˈtärt How to pronounce tart (audio) \

Definition of tart

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : agreeably sharp or acid to the taste a tart apple
2 : marked by a biting, acrimonious, or cutting quality a tart rejoinder

tart

noun

Definition of tart (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a dish baked in a pastry shell : pie: such as
a : a small pie or pastry shell without a top containing jelly, custard, or fruit
b : a small pie made of pastry folded over a filling

2 [ earlier slang, girlfriend, probably short for jam tart, rhyming slang for sweetheart ]

a : a promiscuous woman : a woman who has many sexual partners

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from tart

Adjective

tartish \ ˈtär-​tish How to pronounce tartish (audio) \ adjective
tartly adverb
tartness noun

Examples of tart in a Sentence

Adjective

The wine is rather tart. I didn't add enough sugar to the lemonade, and now it's way too tart.

Noun

the sort of skimpy outfit that could cause a girl to be mistaken for a tart
See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Fit dough in the bottom and up the sides of an 8- by 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom; trim excess. Tara Bench, Country Living, "Boarded-Up Window Caramel Nut Tart," 6 Sep. 2019 The dough should barely cover the tart pans, but not be translucent. Amber Turpin, The Mercury News, "How to make Bad Animal’s swoon-worthy tomato tarts," 6 Sep. 2019 Michigan's roughly 47,000 farms added more than $10 billion to the state's economy including dairy farms and more than 300 commodities sold commercially, from tart cherries to cucumbers. John Gallagher, Detroit Free Press, "High water levels foreshadow huge cost of climate change in Michigan," 16 July 2019 Place tart pans on 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake tart shells until beginning to turn light golden around edges, 8 to 10 minutes. The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, Good Housekeeping, "Ruby Red Grapefruit Tartlets," 8 Mar. 2019 The margarita is a sublimely tart, boozy concoction that is pretty much perfect as is. Emily Spicer, ExpressNews.com, "Pineapple, tequila, jalapeño make for great alt-margaritas, 2 recipes," 21 Aug. 2019 Go with the modest, creamy and slightly tart original. Los Angeles Times, "Review: The Cheesecake Factory is the restaurant America wants, deserves," 20 Aug. 2019 Fluke, often the least favorite fish in a sushi combo, was supremely soft in a crudo, and confoundingly luxurious when mixed with tart white strawberries and quinoa. Shauna Lyon, The New Yorker, "At L’Accolade, Artful Appetizers Pose as Drinking Food," 17 Aug. 2019 The fruit-infused, naturally sweet refreshers are made fresh in-house daily and feature two current seasonally inspired flavors: Slightly tart Pomegranate Lime and refreshingly-crisp Pear Cucumber. Jessica Yadegaran, The Mercury News, "Summer deal: Blaze Pizza offers $1 aqua frescas until Aug. 31," 12 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Dessert special include triple cream tart, Turkish coffee and huckleberry cornmeal cake. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Veteran chefs promise luxurious dining at Pernoi in Birmingham," 10 Sep. 2019 This extra-tart sauce delivers plenty of strawberry flavor, but the brown color is unappealing. Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, "Taste-off: The best lunchbox fruit pouches at Bay Area markets," 9 Sep. 2019 Desserts are a casual affair -- the menu offers sundaes, a peach crisp, cookie with milk and dark chocolate tart, a mess of chocolate, chipotle and bacon. Christina Tkacik, baltimoresun.com, "Ocean City’s Shark on the Harbor puts the focus on Maryland seafood and produce," 8 Aug. 2019 For the tart: Whisk the egg, crème fraîche, ginger and orange blossom simple syrup until combined and then pour it into the crust. ExpressNews.com, "Recipe: Orange Flower Fig Tart," 19 June 2019 The blueberry old-fashioned tastes like the greatest pop tart ever. The Economist, "How donuts fuelled the American Dream," 26 July 2019 This blend, which includes rose hips, orange peel, licorice root, cinnamon and lemongrass, is flavor-dense and extra-tart. Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, "Taste-Off: The Bay Area’s best (and worst) hibiscus teas," 13 July 2019 This time around, Snickerdoodles made three large cakes — a chocolate ganache, a cannoli cake and a red velvet cake with the iconic Rolling Stones’ tongue logo — and a slew of pastries, including fruit tarts, petite mousse cups and eclairs. Leah Brennan, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "No ‘Mixed Emotions’: Rolling Stones caterer buys cakes from Hampstead bakery Snickerdoodles," 11 July 2019 An espresso, a convivial greeting, and a pastel de nata (an eggy custard tart) start the day. Anne Farrar, National Geographic, "Here’s why everyone is going to Portugal now," 18 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tart.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of tart

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for tart

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English teart sharp, severe; akin to Middle High German traz spite

Noun

Middle English tarte, from Anglo-French

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for tart

tart

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of tart

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: having a sharp or sour taste
: having a sharp and unkind quality

tart

noun

English Language Learners Definition of tart (Entry 2 of 2)

: an open pie that usually has a sweet filling (such as fruit or custard)
: a woman who wears very sexy clothing and has sex with many men