Meanings
tarry1
present singular third person tarries · participle present tarrying · participle past tarried · past tarried · alternative Scotland tarrow
- datedintransitiveTo delay; to be late or tardy in beginning or doing anything.
I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; and even though he may tarry, nonetheless, I wait every day for his coming.
c. 1170, Maimonides, “Thirteen principles of faith”, in Mishneh Torah2 more examples
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Habakkuk 2:3But so was Face, crouched before the fire in her banana skins, and so was Mug, smoking a cigarette and saying as he flicked the ash: “Why doth the bridegroom tarry?”
1918 August, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “Bliss”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, page 126Synonyms: forestall, put off, adjourn, avert, defer, delay, dilly-dally, draw out
- datedintransitiveTo linger in expectation of something or until something is done or happens.
And, thinking of to-morrow, when the church would rise up, singing, under the booming Sunday light, he thought of the light for which they tarried, which, in an instant, filled the soul, causing […] the new-born in Christ to testify: Once I was blind and now I see.
1953, James Baldwin, “Florence's Prayer”, in Go Tell It on the Mountain (Penguin Classics), London: Penguin Books, published 2001, →ISBNSynonyms: abide
- datedintransitiveTo abide, stay or wait somewhere, especially if longer than planned.
[...] I have Thoughts to tarry a ſmall Matter in Town, to learn ſomewhat of your Lingo firſt, before I croſs the Seas.
1700, [William] Congreve, The Way of the World, a Comedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act III, scene xv, page 47Synonyms: hang about, hang around, linger, loiter
- datedintransitiveTo stay somewhere temporarily.
In this by-place of nature, there abode, in a remote period of American history, that is to say, some thirty years since, a worthy wight of the name of Ichabod Crane; who sojourned, or, as he expressed it, "tarried," in Sleepy Hollow[…].
1820, Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, published 1864Synonyms: sojourn, stay, stay over, stop, stop over, keep, lodge, quarter
- datedtransitiveTo wait for; to stay or stop for; to allow to linger.
Fly, fly, my lord. There is no tarrying here.
1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v]2 more examples
He that will have a cake out of the wheat must needs tarry the grinding.
c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]"If I had heard otherwise," said the old man, looking up with a stern and menacing countenance, "you should have heard of it too." And he plodded on his way, tarrying no farther question.
1815, Walter Scott, chapter 8, in Guy Mannering, volume 1Synonyms: await, wait on, abide, attend, await, bide, expect, hold up
tarry2
comparative tarrier · superlative tarriest
- datedResembling tar.
1 more example
And he led the way from the station, stopping once to gloat over the sunset across Trafalgar Square, and again to inhale the tarry scent of the warm wood-paving, which was perfume to his nostrils as the din of its traffic was music to his ears, before we came to one of those political palaces which permit themselves to be included in the list of ordinary clubs.
1909, E[rnest] W[illiam] Hornung, “An Inaugural Banquet”, in Mr. Justice Raffles, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page 2Synonyms: pitchy
Tarry3
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo delay; to be late or tardy in beginning or doing anything.
verbTo linger in expectation of something or until something is done or happens.
verbTo abide, stay or wait somewhere, especially if longer than planned.
verbTo stay somewhere temporarily.
verbTo wait for; to stay or stop for; to allow to linger.
adjectiveResembling tar.
adjectiveCovered with tar.
More synonyms by meaning
verbbe about a place without any apparent purpose
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
tarry · verb, noun
- Proto-Indo-European*derHgʰ-“to pull, tug, irritate”
- Proto-Germanic*terganą
- Old Englishtirian
- Middle Englishtarien
- Englishtarry
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”). Compare typologically Czech meškat, Russian ме́шкать (méškatʹ) (akin to меша́ть (mešátʹ)), копа́ться (kopátʹsja) (akin to копа́ть (kopátʹ)).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →tarry · adjective
- Middle Englishterrie
- Englishtarry
From Middle English terrie, equivalent to tar + -y.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek χρονίζω, μένω
- χρονίζω (khronízō)to delay or be tardy
- μένω (ménō)to stay or wait somewhere
Arabic تَلَكَأ, تَلَكَع
- تَلَكَأ (talakaʔ)to delay or be tardy
- تَلَكَع (talakaʕ)to delay or be tardy
- تَوَانَى (tawānā)to delay or be tardy
Bulgarian ба́вя се, ма́я се
- ба́вя се (bávja se)to delay or be tardy
- ма́я се (mája se)to delay or be tardy
- изча́квам (izčákvam)to linger in expectation of
- стоя́ (stojá)to stay or wait somewhere
- оста́вам (ostávam)to stay or wait somewhere
- пребива́вам (prebivávam)to stay somewhere temporarily
- доча́квам (dočákvam)to stay or stop for
- престой (prestoj)sojourn
Catalan trigar, demorar-se
- trigarto delay or be tardy
- demorar-seto linger in expectation of
- restarto stay or wait somewhere
- estar-s'hito stay somewhere temporarily
Czech meškat, meškat
- meškatto delay or be tardy
- meškatto stay or wait somewhere
- čekatto stay or wait somewhere
- zdržovat seto stay somewhere temporarily
- prodlévatto stay somewhere temporarily
- zůstávatto stay somewhere temporarily
Danish drøje, afvente
- drøjeto delay or be tardy
- afventeto linger in expectation of
- opholde sigto stay somewhere temporarily
- holde tilbageto stay or stop for
Dutch talmen, treuzelen
- talmento delay or be tardy
- treuzelento delay or be tardy
- afwachtento linger in expectation of
- blijvento stay or wait somewhere
- wachtento stay or wait somewhere
- verblijvento stay somewhere temporarily
Estonian viivitama, viivitama
- viivitamato delay or be tardy
- viivitamato linger in expectation of
- peatumato stay or wait somewhere
- ootamato stay or wait somewhere
- viibimato stay somewhere temporarily
Finnish viivästyä, olla myöhässä
- viivästyäto delay or be tardy
- olla myöhässäto delay or be tardy
- odotellato linger in expectation of
- viipyäto linger in expectation of
- viivytelläto linger in expectation of
- viipyäto stay or wait somewhere
- oleskellato stay somewhere temporarily
- pysähtyäto stay somewhere temporarily
- viipyäto stay somewhere temporarily
- odottaato stay or stop for
French tarder, s'attarder
- tarderto delay or be tardy
- s'attarderto delay or be tardy
- tarderto linger in expectation of
- s'attarderto linger in expectation of
- resterto stay or wait somewhere
- demeurerto stay or wait somewhere
- s'attarderto stay or wait somewhere
- demeurerto stay somewhere temporarily
- séjournerto stay somewhere temporarily
- séjoursojourn
German zaudern, zögern
- zaudernto delay or be tardy
- zögernto delay or be tardy
- sich verspätento delay or be tardy
- sich verzögernto delay or be tardy
- verzögernto delay or be tardy
- hinauszögernto delay or be tardy
- abwartento linger in expectation of
- verharrento linger in expectation of
- verweilento linger in expectation of
- verbleibento linger in expectation of
- sich aufhaltento linger in expectation of
- verweilento stay or wait somewhere
- Verzögerungsojourn
- Aufenthaltsojourn
Greek ξεροσταλιάζω
- ξεροσταλιάζω (xerostaliázo)to linger in expectation of
Hungarian késlekedik, habozik
- késlekedikto delay or be tardy
- habozikto delay or be tardy
- rostokolto stay or wait somewhere
- időzikto stay somewhere temporarily
Latin cunctor, sedeō
- cunctorto delay or be tardy
- sedeōto stay or wait somewhere
- sedeōto stay somewhere temporarily
Norwegian Bokmål drøye, avvente
- drøyeto delay or be tardy
- avventeto linger in expectation of
- oppholde segto stay somewhere temporarily
Russian ме́шкать, остана́вливаться
- ме́шкать (méškatʹ)to delay or be tardy
- остана́вливаться (ostanávlivatʹsja)to stay somewhere temporarily
Spanish demorar, visita
- demorarto delay or be tardy
- visitasojourn
Swedish dröja
- dröjato delay or be tardy
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tarry
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
tarry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tarry
“tarry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tarry. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tarry,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tarry.
Source: tarry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.