What does "tabor" mean?
A small drum.
Tabor
/ˈteɪbə(ɹ)/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small drum.
- Grammar: tabor is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: drum, drumstick, kettledrum, snare.
- Usage evidence: Hundreds of young Yazidis are being taught the techniques and instruments of their culture, including a sacred stringed instrument known as a tabor, and the daf, a type of frame drum.
How to use "tabor"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tabor" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tabor" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tabor" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tabor" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tabor" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "drum" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tabor", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small drum.
- 2 A military train of men and wagons; an encampment of such resources.
"A Polish-Lithuanian tabor besieged by twenty or thirty thousand Tartars must have closely resembled the overland wagon trains of American pioneers attacked by the Sioux or the Cherokee."
- 3 a small drum with one head of soft calfskin wordnet
- 4 A small drum.; In traditional music, a small drum played with a single stick, leaving the player's other hand free to play a melody on a three-holed pipe.
"Being apprized of our approach, the whole neighbourhood came out to meet their minister, drest in their finest cloaths, and preceded by a pipe and tabor […]"
Verb
- 1 To make (a sound) with a tabor. transitive
- 2 To strike lightly and frequently.
Proper Noun
- 1 A place name:; Tábor (a city in the Czech Republic).
- 2 A mountain in Israel, Mount Tabor
- 3 Abbreviation of Taxpayer Bill of Rights. US, abbreviation, alt-of
""I believe citizens of every community have the right to determine what's right for them," he said. "I don't think TABOR is a one-size fix. TABOR doesn't allow a community to determine where their future is going to go.""
- 4 A place name:; A city in Slovenia.
- 5 The Transfiguration of Jesus metonymically
"the light of Tabor"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 A place name:; A village in Masovian Voivodeship, Poland.
- 7 A place name:; A locality in the Shire of Southern Grampians, Victoria, Australia, named after Tábor in Bohemia.
- 8 A place name:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in DeWitt County, Illinois.
- 9 A place name:; A number of places in the United States:; A minor city in Fremont County and Mills County, Iowa.
- 10 A place name:; A number of places in the United States:; A township and unincorporated community therein, in Polk County, Minnesota, derived from Tábor.
- 11 A place name:; A number of places in the United States:; A town in Bon Homme County, South Dakota, from Tábor.
- 12 A surname.
Example
"Hundreds of young Yazidis are being taught the techniques and instruments of their culture, including a sacred stringed instrument known as a tabor, and the daf, a type of frame drum."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tabor"?
Common synonyms include: drum, drumstick, kettledrum, snare, tabour, tambac.
How do you use "tabor" in a sentence?
Hundreds of young Yazidis are being taught the techniques and instruments of their culture, including a sacred stringed instrument known as a tabor, and the daf, a type of frame drum.
How do you pronounce "tabor"?
Pronounced /ˈteɪbə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English, from Old French tabour, from Arabic طُنْبُور (ṭunbūr), ultimately from the Middle Persian ancestor of Classical Persian تنبور (tanbūr). Doublet of tambour and tanbur.
Etymology 2
From various Slavic languages, from a Turkic language. Compare Ottoman Turkish طابور (tabur).
Etymology 3
From German Tabor, from Czech tábor (“camp”).
Etymology 4
From Biblical Hebrew תָּבוֹר (Tāḇôr), of uncertain origin.