tans

T1A1N1S1

noun

The Black and Tans, a British irregular army group operating against Irish republicans in the War of Independence 1920/21.

UncommonScrabble 4
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

tans1

noun
  1. pluralplural of tan
verb
  1. indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of tan

Tans2

nounTans pl (plural only)
  1. IrelandUKpluralplural onlyThe Black and Tans, a British irregular army group operating against Irish republicans in the War of Independence 1920/21.

    Close quarter fighting did not suit them. It does not suit the Essex or the Tans.

    1948, Tom Barry, Guerilla^([sic]) Days in Ireland, published 1949
    2 more examples

    Intuitively, on Bloody Sunday, the Tans recognized where their trouble lay: the Irish were playing their own game once again.

    1931, John Bowyer Bell, To Play the Game: An Analysis of Sport

    The Dawn contains two problems for its male protagonists: namely, Ireland's fight against the British forces, the RIC, and the Tans, and the patriotic commitment of the Malone family's sons.

    1995, Lance Pettitt, Screening Ireland: Film and Television Representation

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with tans

handsHanssansFranzcairnsmansGanzbannsglansManzJanz
All rhymes →

Anagrams

stanSantNastnatstsan
Cite this entry
APA

tans. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tans

MLA

“tans.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tans. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tans,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tans.

Source: tans on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.