tang
1 Americannoun
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a strong taste or flavor.
- Synonyms:
- savor
-
the distinctive flavor or quality of a thing.
-
a pungent or distinctive odor.
-
a touch or suggestion of something; slight trace.
-
a long and slender projecting strip, tongue, or prong forming part of an object, as a chisel, file, or knife, and serving as a means of attachment for another part, as a handle or stock.
-
a surgeonfish.
verb (used with object)
-
to furnish with a tang.
noun
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a dynasty in China, a.d. 618–907, marked by territorial expansion, the invention of printing, and the high development of poetry.
noun
-
a strong taste or flavour
the tang of the sea
-
a pungent or characteristic smell
the tang of peat fires
-
a trace, touch, or hint of something
a tang of cloves in the apple pie
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the pointed end of a tool, such as a chisel, file, knife, etc, which is fitted into a handle, shaft, or stock
noun
-
the imperial dynasty of China from 618–907 ad
Etymology
Origin of tang1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English tange “tongue of a snake, projection on a tool,” perhaps from Old Norse tangi “projection, headland, tang of a blade”
Origin of tang2
First recorded in 1660–70; imitative; ting 1
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.
He opted for pseudo-macho pastiche, with a distinct Reddit-ish tang: Operation Epic Fury might as well translate to Operation Epic Bacon.
From Slate • Mar. 6, 2026
Davidson apparently had other words to herald the arrival of his first child: “Wu tang forever.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2025
There’s tang: a gorgeous goat cheese or a Vermont Invierno, all bright edges and creamy center.
From Salon • Dec. 16, 2025
It's not the kind of kimchi my family would have made, but the process - rubbing paste into each leaf, waiting for the tang to deepen - connects back to kitchens thousands of miles away.
From BBC • Dec. 13, 2025
All in an instant: the panic, the tang, and the explosionist.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
