tin

plural tins

1. uncountableA malleable, ductile, metallic element, resistant to corrosion, with atomic number 50 and symbol Sn.
2. countablemetonymicallyuncountableIron or steel sheet metal that is coated with tin as an anticorrosion protectant.

   The roof was made of tin, which had been cut with tin snips.

   Synonyms: tinplate

3. CommonwealthUKcountableAn airtight container, made of tin-coated steel (called tinplate or tin), (formerly) tin, aluminium, or another metal, used to preserve food, or hold a liquid or some other product.

   Several tins of paint were needed to paint the house.

   3 more examples

   a tin of baked beans; a tobacco tin; a tin of shoe polish

   empty tins, cans, and plastic containers are recycled in the blue bins.

   When it arrived, the train was headed by a "K" class 4-6-0 wood-burning locomotive, and a water-tank wagon next to the tender was immediately besieged by women and girls, clad in their picturesque national costume, all with empty kerosene tins for water, a scene which was re-enacted at each stop down the line.

   1943 November and December, G. T. Porter, “The Lines Behind the Lines in Burma”, in Railway Magazine, page 325

   Synonyms: can, can, tin can

4. countableA metal pan used for baking, roasting, storing food, etc.

   muffin tin

   3 more examples

   roasting tin

   baking tin

   And, indeed, after a tense round of rolling, shaping and filling delicate pastry dough, Rowan can’t even pull his overstuffed pies out of the tins without them bleeding and oozing fruit filling.

   2023 October 28, Ashlie D. Stevens, ““Great British Bake Off” shocks viewers with a dramatic double-elimination round”, in Salon

5. countableball gamesThe bottom part of the front wall, which is "out" if a player strikes it with the ball.
6. datedslanguncountablemoney, especially silver money.

   The father is a cotton lord, and they all have loads of tin, you know

   1844, Benjamin Disraeli, Coningsby

   1 more example

   When all your tin is gone and spent, / And you've not a mag for bread or rent

   1861, Philip William Perfitt, The Pathfinder, page 377

7. slanguncountablecomputer hardware.

1. not comparableMade of tin.
2. not comparableMade of galvanised iron or built of corrugated iron.

   [I]n fact he was a big noise, literally, in the Baptist Chapel, known locally as the Tin Tab[ernacle] - whereas my family were 'church' and Uncle Ezekiel was an infidel at that.

   1939, George Orwell, Coming up for Air, London: Victor Gollancz

3. not comparableMade of aluminum.

present singular third person tins · participle present tinning · participle past tinned · past tinned

1. transitiveTo place into a metal can (ie. a tin; be it tin, steel, aluminum) in order to preserve.
2. transitiveTo cover with tin.
3. To coat with solder
   1. transitiveTo coat with solder, in preparation for soldering, to ensure a good solder joint
   2. transitiveTo coat with solder, in order to consolidate braided wire, so as to make contact with all strands and reduce fragility of the fraying wire

plural TINs

1. abbreviationinitialismvarious countriesInitialism of taxpayer identification number.

   The AOTC and/or LLC cannot be claimed if the TIN is issued after the due date of the return (including extensions).

   2025 May 28, “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill”, in United States House Committee on Ways & Means, page 43