tab: Meaning and Definition of

tab

Pronunciation: (tab), [key]
— n., v., tabbed, tab•bing.
—n.
  1. a small flap, strap, loop, or similar appendage, as on a garment, used for pulling, hanging, or decoration.
  2. a tag or label.
  3. a small projection from a card, paper, or folder, used as an aid in filing.
  4. a bill, as for a meal in a restaurant; check.
  5. a small piece attached or intended to be attached, as to an automobile license plate.
  6. a small flap or tongue of material used to seal or close the opening of a container.
  7. Also calleda stop on a typewriter, actuated by a key, that moves the carriage, typing element, etc., a predetermined number of spaces, used for typing material in columns, for fixed indentations, etc.
  8. a programmed command on a computer, actuated by a key, that moves the cursor or printhead a predetermined number of spaces, used for keying material in columns, for fixed indentations, etc.
    1. a small, often narrow, drop curtain, for masking part of the stage.
    2. Seetableau curtain.
  9. a small airfoil hinged to the rear portion of a control surface, as to an elevator, aileron, or rudder. Cf.
  10. to keep an account of; check on; observe: The police kept tabs on the suspect's activities.
—v.t.
  1. to furnish or ornament with a tab or tabs.
  2. to name or designate.
—v.i.
  1. to operate the tab function on a typewriter or computer.

tab

Pronunciation: (tab), [key]
— n. Informal.
  1. tabloid (def. 1).
  2. a tablet, as of a drug or medication.

tab.

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. tables.
  2. (in prescriptions) tablet.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also:
  • tab (Thesaurus)