Definition of TARRY

tarry

Plural: tarries

Verb

Verb Forms: tarried, tarrying, tarries

  • To delay or linger; to be slow in action or coming.
  • be about
  • leave slowly and hesitantly
  • To delay; to be late or tardy in beginning or doing anything.
  • To linger in expectation of something or until something is done or happens.
  • To abide, stay or wait somewhere, especially if longer than planned.
  • To stay somewhere temporarily.
  • To wait for; to stay or stop for; to allow to linger.

Adjective Satellite

  • having the characteristics of pitch or tar

Noun

  • A sojourn.

Adj

  • Resembling tar.
  • Covered with tar.

Adjective

  • Resembling or covered with tar; sticky and black.

Examples

  • Don’t TARRY on your turn, or you’ll lose valuable time in Words With Friends.
  • The TARRY substance on his tile made it hard to read the letter.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English tarien, terien (“to vex, harass, cause to hesitate, delay”), from Old English tirian, tirġan, terġan (“to worry, exasperate, pain, provoke, excite”), from Proto-Germanic *terganą, *targijaną (“to pull, tease, irritate”), from Proto-Indo-European *derHgʰ- (“to pull, tug, irritate”). Cognate with Dutch tergen (“to provoke”), German zergen (“to vex, irritate, provoke”), Norwegian Bokmål terge (“to irritate, provoke”), Russian дёргать (djórgatʹ, “to pull, yank, jerk, pester”). Compare also Walloon tårdjî (“to be late, to be slow, to wait”).

Synonyms

footle, hang around, lallygag, linger, loaf, loiter, lollygag, lounge, lurk, mess about, mill about, mill around, pitchy, resinous, resiny, abide, adjourn, attend, avert, await, bide, bituminized, defer, delay, dilly-dally, draw out, eld, expect, extend, forestall, forestay, forslow, hang about, hold up, keep, kick into the long grass, kick the can down the road, lodge, postpone, procrastinate, prolong, prorogate, prorogue, protract, put off, put on hold, put on ice, quarter, remain, retard, sleep over, sojourn, stay, stay over, stop, stop off, stop over, stop-over, suspend, tarry, tend, wait, wait for, wait on

Antonyms

go, leave

Scrabble Score: 8

tarry: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
tarry: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
tarry: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

tarry: valid Words With Friends Word