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# tab

noun (a tab, tabs); verb (tab, tabs, tabbed, tabbing)

«tab» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#m1)
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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#m2)
3. The Tab key on a keyboard moves the cursor forward to the next space or box. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#m3)
4. (informal) A tab is a bill for food or drinks that you pay later, as in «put it on my tab». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#m4)
5. «Keep tabs on» someone means to watch them carefully to know what they are doing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#m5)
6. (UK, slang) A tab can mean a cigarette in some parts of England. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#m6)

### 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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#x1)
- Press Tab to jump to the next box. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#x2)
- Pull the tab to open the can. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#x3)
- Our teacher keeps tabs on who has finished their reading. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#x4)
- Grandad picked up the tab for the whole family's dinner. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#x5)
- Each folder has a coloured tab with a name on it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#x6)
- Close that tab and go back to the maths website. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#x7)
- The coat had a little tab for hanging it on a hook. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/#x8)

### 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.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «tab» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tab/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«tab» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/tab.html) on Mova free.