tattoo

tattoo — noun

1. a permanent picture, pattern, or piece of writing that is made on a person's ski

1.nounB1
Definition

a permanent picture, pattern, or piece of writing that is made on a person's skin using a needle to push coloured ink beneath the surface; temporary sticker-like designs that look similar are also called tattoos.

Example

A large eagle tattoo covers the whole of Rafael's back.

adjective + tattoo to describe size/subject

The artist spent three hours working on the dragon tattoo on Trang's arm.

Common collocations
  • get a tattoo
  • have a tattoo
  • tattoo on [body part]
  • temporary tattoo
  • permanent tattoo
Synonyms
  • body art

    broader term that includes tattoos, piercings, and other body modifications

  • ink

    informal slang for a tattoo, common in casual conversation

Grammar Patterns

a/the tattoo

adjective + tattoo

Usage Note

Can be modified by 'temporary' to refer to a sticker-like design that lasts days or weeks, as opposed to a permanent tattoo. The phrase 'get a tattoo' is the most common way to talk about receiving one.

Common Mistakes

She has a big tattoo on her skin body.
She has a big tattoo on her arm.
'skin' is already implied by 'tattoo'; state the body part directly.
I want to make a tattoo.
I want to get a tattoo.
The correct verb is 'get' or 'have done', not 'make'.

2. an outdoor public event where soldiers perform marching, play music, and carry o

2.nounC1
Definition

an outdoor public event where soldiers perform marching, play music, and carry out military exercises, often as evening entertainment.

Example

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo attracts thousands of visitors each summer.

proper noun with Military Tattoo for specific events

Joon watched the tattoo at the army base with his grandfather.

Common collocations
  • military tattoo
  • the [name] Tattoo
  • evening tattoo
  • attend a tattoo
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

a/the tattoo

the [name] Military Tattoo

Usage Note

Often capitalized (Military Tattoo) when referring to a specific named event. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is the most famous example. This sense has no connection to skin decoration.

Common Mistakes

We went to see a tattoo on his arm at the show.
We went to see the Military Tattoo at the castle.
The military performance sense is a completely different word from the skin-marking sense.

3. a rapid, repeated beat on a drum, especially one used in military settings to si

3.nounC1
Definition

a rapid, repeated beat on a drum, especially one used in military settings to signal soldiers or announce the start of an event.

Example

The drummer played a sharp tattoo to call the soldiers back to camp.

play a tattoo + drumming context

A loud tattoo on the drum told everyone the ceremony was about to start.

Common collocations
  • beat a tattoo
  • play a tattoo
  • distant tattoo
Synonyms
  • drumbeat

    more general; does not carry the military-signal implication

  • rat-a-tat

    onomatopoeic, more informal

Grammar Patterns

a/the tattoo

beat/play a tattoo

Usage Note

This sense is historically related to the 'military show' sense (both derive from a signal to return to quarters). It is rarely used in everyday conversation today outside of historical or literary contexts.

tattoo — verb

Word family

  • tattooed
    adjectiveB1
  • tattooist
    nounB1
  • tattooing
    nounB1
  • tattoo artist
    nounB1
  • tattoo parlor
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Tattoo' refers specifically to a design embedded in the skin with pigment. 'Body art' is a broader category that also includes piercings, scarification, and permanent makeup — use it when the medium is not the focus. 'Ink' is casual slang: 'He just got new ink' sounds natural among friends but would be out of place in a formal essay. 'Branding' uses heat or cold instead of needles and leaves scar tissue rather than pigment — it is much rarer and often carries a more extreme connotation. For a learner, 'tattoo' is always the safest choice; the others depend heavily on context and audience.

tattoo ↗body artink ↗branding ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • tattoo artist
  • tattoo parlor
  • tattoo studio
  • tattoo removal
  • tattoo design

Adverbs

  • permanently tattooed
  • beautifully tattooed
  • heavily tattooed
  • freshly tattooed

Phrases

  • get a tattoo
  • have a tattoo done
  • cover-up tattoo

Prepositions

  • tattoo on
  • tattoo over
  • tattoo across

Etymology

Polynesian (Samoan: tatau)English (skin marking)Dutch (doe den tap toe)English (military/drumming)

The skin-marking 'tattoo' comes from the Samoan word 'tatau', meaning 'to mark' or 'to strike'. British explorer Captain Cook brought the word to English in the late 1700s after encountering Polynesian tattooing practices. The military and drumming 'tattoo' has a completely separate origin: it comes from the Dutch phrase 'doe den tap toe' ('close the tap'), a signal that told tavern keepers to stop serving beer and soldiers to return to their barracks. Over time this evolved to mean a military performance with music and marching, and later also the drumbeat that announced it. These two words share the same spelling today but are historically unrelated.