1
: a plaid textile design of Scottish origin consisting of stripes of varying width and color usually patterned to designate a distinctive clan
2
a
: a twilled woolen fabric with tartan design
b
: a fabric with tartan design
3
: a garment of tartan design
Examples of tartan in a Sentence
a kilt in the clan's tartan
Recent Examples on the Web
Brooke Shields brought the plaids, checks and tartan trend to Forbes’ 50 over 50 celebration in New York on Friday.
—
Hannah Malach, WWD, 27 Oct. 2024
The princess wore a dark green wide-brimmed hat with feathers on the side and a brown tartan checked coat, while William wore a dark suit for the occasion.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2024
The land of tartan, kilts, and Harris tweed might have inspired the design but here these codes are subverted.
—Gemma A. Williams, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024
Rather than go all in on either French or American designers, Obama took the diplomatic route (learned it from you, dad!) and went British, wearing a Vivienne Westwood top and skirt with bold, color-contrasting tartan patterns.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tartan 
Hannah Malach, WWD, 27 Oct. 2024
The princess wore a dark green wide-brimmed hat with feathers on the side and a brown tartan checked coat, while William wore a dark suit for the occasion.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2024
The land of tartan, kilts, and Harris tweed might have inspired the design but here these codes are subverted.
—Gemma A. Williams, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024
Rather than go all in on either French or American designers, Obama took the diplomatic route (learned it from you, dad!) and went British, wearing a Vivienne Westwood top and skirt with bold, color-contrasting tartan patterns.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tartan
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tartan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tartan
Cite this Entry
“Tartan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tartan. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tartan
noun
tar·tan
ˈtärt-ᵊn 
1
: a plaid textile design of Scottish origin
2
: a fabric or garment with tartan design
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