tab
part of speech
noun (a tab, tabs); verb (tab, tabs, tabbed, tabbing)
meaning for a pupil
1) A tab is a small flap or strip sticking out of something, used for pulling, holding or labelling it, like the tab on a can or a folder. tree →
2) On a computer, a tab is one of the pages open in a web browser, shown as a little label along the top. tree →
3) The Tab key on a keyboard moves the cursor forward to the next space or box. tree →
4) (informal) A tab is a bill for food or drinks that you pay later, as in «put it on my tab». tree →
5) «Keep tabs on» someone means to watch them carefully to know what they are doing. tree →
6) (UK, slang) A tab can mean a cigarette in some parts of England. tree →
sense in the lessons
In computing lessons, pupils open and close browser tabs and use the Tab key to move between boxes in a form. In everyday life, tabs are on drink cans, files and clothes labels. In stories, «keep tabs on» shows someone watching or checking on another person. Phrases: «open a new tab», «close the tab», «keep tabs on», «pick up the tab» (pay the bill), «ring-pull tab».
examples
- I had twelve tabs open, and the computer slowed down. tree →
- Press Tab to jump to the next box. tree →
- Pull the tab to open the can. tree →
- Our teacher keeps tabs on who has finished their reading. tree →
- Grandad picked up the tab for the whole family's dinner. tree →
- Each folder has a coloured tab with a name on it. tree →
- Close that tab and go back to the maths website. tree →
- The coat had a little tab for hanging it on a hook. tree →
note
Countable noun. Verb forms double the b: tabbed, tabbing. «Pick up the tab» means pay for everyone, not lift a flap. «Tab» as a cigarette is regional British slang. In maths and data, «tab-separated» means split by tab spaces.
In the corpora
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «tab» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.