"tarball" meaning in English

See tarball in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: tarballs [plural]
Etymology: From tar + ball. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|tar|ball}} tar + ball Head templates: {{en-noun}} tarball (plural tarballs)
  1. A ball of tar or crude oil found on a beach.
    Sense id: en-tarball-en-noun-rNDMM1on Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 40 34 26 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 45 33 22 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 45 33 22
  2. (computing) A file that is an archive of several other files, created using the Unix tar utility.
    Sense id: en-tarball-en-noun-kvPU2ynr Categories (other): Computing, English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 40 34 26 Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Verb

Forms: tarballs [present, singular, third-person], tarballing [participle, present], tarballed [participle, past], tarballed [past]
Etymology: From tar + ball. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|tar|ball}} tar + ball Head templates: {{en-verb}} tarball (third-person singular simple present tarballs, present participle tarballing, simple past and past participle tarballed)
  1. (transitive, computing) To archive into a tarball. Tags: transitive
    Sense id: en-tarball-en-verb-mUJC7GMs Categories (other): Computing, English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 40 34 26 Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tar",
        "3": "ball"
      },
      "expansion": "tar + ball",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From tar + ball.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tarballs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tarball (plural tarballs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "40 34 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 33 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 33 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1969, Hearings By United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary\nAll of us who have been to the beaches this year have encountered tarballs that stick to our feet and mess up our rugs."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A ball of tar or crude oil found on a beach."
      ],
      "id": "en-tarball-en-noun-rNDMM1on",
      "links": [
        [
          "ball",
          "ball"
        ],
        [
          "tar",
          "tar"
        ],
        [
          "crude oil",
          "crude oil"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Computing",
          "orig": "en:Computing",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "40 34 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A file that is an archive of several other files, created using the Unix tar utility."
      ],
      "id": "en-tarball-en-noun-kvPU2ynr",
      "links": [
        [
          "computing",
          "computing#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "archive",
          "archive"
        ],
        [
          "file",
          "file"
        ],
        [
          "Unix",
          "Unix"
        ],
        [
          "utility",
          "utility"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(computing) A file that is an archive of several other files, created using the Unix tar utility."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "computing",
        "engineering",
        "mathematics",
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tarball"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tar",
        "3": "ball"
      },
      "expansion": "tar + ball",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From tar + ball.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tarballs",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tarballing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tarballed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tarballed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tarball (third-person singular simple present tarballs, present participle tarballing, simple past and past participle tarballed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Computing",
          "orig": "en:Computing",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "40 34 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To archive into a tarball."
      ],
      "id": "en-tarball-en-verb-mUJC7GMs",
      "links": [
        [
          "computing",
          "computing#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, computing) To archive into a tarball."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "computing",
        "engineering",
        "mathematics",
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tarball"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tar",
        "3": "ball"
      },
      "expansion": "tar + ball",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From tar + ball.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tarballs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tarball (plural tarballs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1969, Hearings By United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary\nAll of us who have been to the beaches this year have encountered tarballs that stick to our feet and mess up our rugs."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A ball of tar or crude oil found on a beach."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "ball",
          "ball"
        ],
        [
          "tar",
          "tar"
        ],
        [
          "crude oil",
          "crude oil"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Computing"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A file that is an archive of several other files, created using the Unix tar utility."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "computing",
          "computing#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "archive",
          "archive"
        ],
        [
          "file",
          "file"
        ],
        [
          "Unix",
          "Unix"
        ],
        [
          "utility",
          "utility"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(computing) A file that is an archive of several other files, created using the Unix tar utility."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "computing",
        "engineering",
        "mathematics",
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tarball"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tar",
        "3": "ball"
      },
      "expansion": "tar + ball",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From tar + ball.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tarballs",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tarballing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tarballed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tarballed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tarball (third-person singular simple present tarballs, present participle tarballing, simple past and past participle tarballed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English transitive verbs",
        "en:Computing"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To archive into a tarball."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "computing",
          "computing#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, computing) To archive into a tarball."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "computing",
        "engineering",
        "mathematics",
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tarball"
}

Download raw JSONL data for tarball meaning in English (2.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-16 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-06-01 using wiktextract (074e7de and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.