Definition

Noun: 1. Airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint, etc.: A cylindrical container, typically made of thin steel coated with tin or another material, used for preserving and storing various products. 2. Informal term for a destroyer: A slang or informal naval term for a destroyer, a type of fast, maneuverable warship.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Container):
  • She opened a tin can of beans for a quick lunch.
  • Recycling tin cans helps reduce waste.
• Noun (Naval slang):
  • The old sailor served on a tin can during the war.
  • The fleet was escorted by several tin cans.

Advanced Usage

• "Like a tin can": Used to describe something that is cramped, noisy, or insubstantial, often a vehicle.
  • That old car rattles like a tin can on this rough road.

Variants and Related Words

• Can (n): A more common, general term for the same type of container. ("A can of soda.")
• Tin (n, chiefly British): Commonly used to mean the same as "can." ("A tin of tomatoes.")
• Destroyer (n): The formal term for the type of warship referred to informally as a "tin can."

Synonyms

• For the container: Can, tin (BrE), metal container.
• For the warship: Destroyer, warship (general).

Related Idioms

• "To be canned": Slang meaning to be recorded or, more commonly, to be fired from a job. (Note: This idiom uses "can" as a verb, not directly "tin can." It is listed here due to the shared root word.)
  • The bad performance was canned before it aired.
  • He got canned for being late too often.

Noun

1. airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint etc.
2. informal term for a destroyer