# tanner

/ˈtænɝ/ (US) · /tˈænɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tanner
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. leather maker

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a person whose job is to turn animal skins into leather.

For teachers: a person who treats animal hides with tannin or other chemicals to produce leather.

- The tanner worked all day in the shop to prepare the leather for the boots.
- Historically, the tanner was often relegated to the outskirts of the city due to the pungent odours associated with the chemical treatment of hides.

### 2. cosmetic tanning

noun · CEFR B2

a person who applies a tan to someone's skin, often using a spray.

For teachers: a professional who applies cosmetic tanning products, such as spray tans, to a client's skin.

- She visited a professional tanner to get a healthy glow before her wedding.
- The salon hired an experienced tanner who specialised in achieving a natural-looking finish without the streaks common in DIY applications.

### 3. old British coin

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Archaic · Informal

a slang name for an old British coin worth six pence.

For teachers: a colloquial term for the pre-decimal British sixpence coin.

- My grandfather told me he could buy a lot of sweets for a tanner when he was a boy.
- The term tanner remained in common usage until decimalisation in 1971 rendered the old sixpence obsolete in daily commerce.

## Examples

- The tanner works with wet animal skins.
- He handed the shopkeeper a tanner for the loose change.
- The ancient tanner used oak bark and alum to cure the hides, a process that required both patience and precise chemical knowledge.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.