ta ste bud (taste buds ) also tastebud N‑COUNT [usu pl, oft poss N ] Your taste buds are the little points on the surface of your tongue which enable you to recognize the flavour of a food or drink.
taste|ful /te I stfʊl/ ADJ If you say that something is tasteful , you consider it to be attractive, elegant, and in good taste. □ The decor is tasteful and restrained. ● taste|ful|ly ADV [usu ADV with v, oft ADV adj] □ …a large and tastefully decorated home.
taste|less /te I stləs/
1 ADJ If you describe something such as furniture, clothing, or the way that a house is decorated as tasteless , you consider it to be vulgar and unattractive. □ …a flat crammed with spectacularly tasteless objets d'art.
2 ADJ If you describe something such as a remark or joke as tasteless , you mean that it is offensive. □ I think that is the most vulgar and tasteless remark I ever heard in my life.
3 ADJ If you describe food or drink as tasteless , you mean that it has very little or no flavour. □ The fish was mushy and tasteless.
tast|er /te I stə r / (tasters )
1 N‑COUNT A taster is someone whose job is to taste different wines, teas, or other foods or drinks, in order to test their quality. □ The world's best job is being advertised - chief chocolate taster .
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If you refer to something as a taster of something greater, or of something that will come later, you mean that it gives you an idea what that thing is like, and often makes you interested in it or want more of it. [mainly BRIT ] □ The book is essentially a taster for those unfamiliar with the subject. in AM, usually use taste
tast|ing /te I st I ŋ/ (tastings ) N‑COUNT Tasting is used in expressions such as wine tasting to refer to a social event at which people try different kinds of the specified drink or food in small amounts.
tasty /te I sti/ (tastier , tastiest ) ADJ If you say that food, especially savoury food, is tasty , you mean that it has a fairly strong and pleasant flavour which makes it good to eat. □ Try this tasty dish for supper with a crispy salad.
tat /tæ t/ N‑UNCOUNT You can use tat to refer to ornaments, used goods, cheap clothes, or other items which you think are cheap and of bad quality. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ …souvenir shops selling an astounding variety of tat.
ta-ta /tæ tɑː / also ta ta CONVENTION Ta-ta is used to say goodbye. [BRIT , INFORMAL or DIALECT , FORMULAE ] □ Okay John. See you again. Ta-ta. □ Ta-ta for now.
tat|tered /tæ tə r d/
1 ADJ If something such as clothing or a book is tattered , it is damaged or torn, especially because it has been used a lot over a long period of time. □ He fled wearing only a sarong and a tattered shirt.
2 ADJ If you describe something as tattered , you mean that it has been badly damaged or has failed completely. □ But, two-and-a-half years later, things haven't quite gone to plan and Stanley's dreams of fame and fortune lie tattered and torn.
tat|ters /tæ tə r z/
1 N‑PLURAL [usu in N ] Clothes that are in tatters are badly torn in several places, so that pieces can easily come off. □ His jersey was left in tatters.
2 N‑PLURAL [usu in N ] If you say that something such as a plan or a person's state of mind is in tatters , you are emphasizing that it is weak, has suffered a lot of damage, and is likely to fail completely. [EMPHASIS ] □ The economy is in tatters.
tat|tle /tæ t ə l/ → see tittle-tattle
tat|too /tætuː / (tattoos , tattooing , tattooed )
1 N‑COUNT A tattoo is a design that is drawn on someone's skin using needles to make little holes and filling them with coloured dye.
2 VERB If someone tattoos you, they give you a tattoo. □ [V n] In the old days, they would paint and tattoo their bodies for ceremonies. □ [V -ed] He had the words 'Angie loves Ian' tattooed on his left shin.
3 N‑COUNT A military tattoo is a public display of exercises and music given by members of the armed forces. [BRIT ]
tat|ty /tæ ti/ ADJ If you describe something as tatty , you think it is untidy, rather dirty, and looks as if it has not been cared for. [mainly BRIT ] □ …a very tatty old bathrobe.
taught /tɔː t/ Taught is the past tense and past participle of teach .
taunt /tɔː nt/ (taunts , taunting , taunted ) VERB If someone taunts you, they say unkind or insulting things to you, especially about your weaknesses or failures. □ [V n] A gang taunted a disabled man. □ [V n + about ] Other youths taunted him about his clothes. ● N‑COUNT Taunt is also a noun. □ For years they suffered racist taunts.
taupe /toʊ p/ COLOUR Something that is taupe is a pale brownish-grey colour.
Tau|rus /tɔː rəs/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Taurus is one of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Its symbol is a bull. People who are born approximately between the 20th of April and the 20th of May come under this sign.
2 N‑SING A Taurus is a person whose sign of the zodiac is Taurus.
taut /tɔː t/ (tauter , tautest )
1 ADJ Something that is taut is stretched very tight. □ The clothes line is pulled taut and secured.
2 ADJ If someone has a taut expression, they look very worried and tense. □ Ben sat up quickly, his face taut and terrified.
taut|en /tɔː t ə n/ (tautens , tautening , tautened ) VERB If a part of your body tautens or if you tauten it, it becomes stiff or firm. □ [V ] Her whole body tautened violently. □ [V n] There are exercises that tauten facial muscles.