tab // noun, verb

■ noun [C]

1 (informal)

a bill for goods or services; the price or cost of sth:

employers who pay the tab for business travel

The tab for building the center was more than $450 million.

Shareholders will have to pick up the tab (= pay the cost) for the failure of the company.

2

a record of the items ordered in a bar or restaurant:

Can I put it on my tab?

3

a small piece of paper, fabric, metal, etc. attached to the edge of sth, that is used to give information about it or to help you find sth; a similar device on information shown on a computer screen:

The website is well designed, with good use of colour-coded tabs.

4 = TAB STOP:

to set/clear the tabs

■ verb (-bb-)

1 [+ obj]

to mark sth with a tab:

tabbed pages

2 [+ obj] (especially AmE)

to say that sb is suitable for a particular job or role or to describe them in a particular way:

He has been tabbed by many people as the next CEO.

3 [no obj]

to use tab stops:

tabbing from column to column

• electronic
• electronic cottage
• electronic data capture
• electronic data interchange
• electronic envelope
• electronic mail
• electronic purse
• electronics
• elephant
• elevator
• elevator pitch
• eligible
• eliminate
• email
• email account
• EMAS
• embargo
• embark
• embattled
• embed
• embedded value
• embezzle
• emerge
• emergency
• emigrant