Meaning & use
tin plated
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Covered with a thin layer of tin, usually on steel or copper, to protect the metal underneath.
Grammar: Mostly placed before a noun: tin-plated steel; it can also follow be: the wire is tin plated.
Patterns
- tin-plated something
- something is tin plated
The cans are made of tin plated steel so they resist rust.
Tin plated copper wire is easier to solder than bare wire.
The connectors are tin plated to keep them from corroding.
Common combinations
- tin plated steel
- Food cans are often made from tin plated steel.
- tin plated copper
- The cable uses tin plated copper strands.
- tin plated contacts
- Tin plated contacts are cheaper than gold ones.
- tin plated finish
- The hinge has a dull tin plated finish.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tinned
- Tinned is more common in British English and can also mean preserved in a can, which tin plated never means.
- galvanized
- Galvanized metal is coated with zinc rather than tin, so it is a different treatment.
- chrome-plated
- Chrome-plated metal has a shiny chromium coating, while tin plating looks softer and duller.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: tin plated or tin foil?
tin plated vs tin foil
Tin foil is a thin sheet, usually aluminum today, for wrapping food; tin plated describes a metal item coated with tin.
Practice
The steel sheets are ___ so that the food cans will not rust.
Choose one answer.
Tin plating protects steel in food cans. Gold plating would be too expensive and the other options do not give rust protection.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tin plated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.