tab
Pronunciation: (tab), [key]
— n., v., tabbed, tab•bing.
—n.
- a small flap, strap, loop, or similar appendage, as on a garment, used for pulling, hanging, or decoration.
- a tag or label.
- a small projection from a card, paper, or folder, used as an aid in filing.
- a bill, as for a meal in a restaurant; check.
- a small piece attached or intended to be attached, as to an automobile license plate.
- a small flap or tongue of material used to seal or close the opening of a container.
- 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.
- 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.
-
- a small, often narrow, drop curtain, for masking part of the stage.
- Seetableau curtain.
- a small airfoil hinged to the rear portion of a control surface, as to an elevator, aileron, or rudder. Cf.
- to keep an account of; check on; observe: The police kept tabs on the suspect's activities.
—v.t.
- to furnish or ornament with a tab or tabs.
- to name or designate.
—v.i.
- to operate the tab function on a typewriter or computer.
tab
Pronunciation: (tab), [key]
— n. Informal.
- tabloid (def. 1).
- a tablet, as of a drug or medication.
tab.
- tables.
- (in prescriptions) tablet.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.