tattoo

noun

/təˈtuː/

/tæˈtuː/

(plural tattoos)

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a picture or design that is marked permanently on a person’s skin by making small holes in the skin with a needle and filling them with coloured ink
- His arms were covered in tattoos.
- She has a tattoo of a tiger on her shoulder.
Collocations Clothes and fashion
Clothes and fashionClothes
- be wearing a new outfit/bright colours/fancy dress/fur/uniform
- be (dressed) in black/red/jeans and a T-shirt/your best suit/leather/silk/rags (= very old torn clothes)
- be dressed for work/school/dinner/a special occasion
- be dressed as a man/woman/clown/pirate
- wear/dress in casual/designer/second-hand clothes
- wear jewellery/accessories/a watch/glasses/contact lenses/perfume
- have a cowboy hat/red dress/blue suit on
- put on/take off your clothes/coat/shoes/helmet
- pull on/pull off your coat/gloves/socks
- change into/get changed into a pair of jeans/your pyjamas
Appearance
- change/enhance/improve your appearance
- create/get/have/give something a new/contemporary/retro look
- brush/comb/shampoo/wash/blow-dry your hair
- have/get a haircut/your hair cut/a new hairstyle
- have/get a piercing/your nose pierced
- have/get a tattoo/a tattoo done (on your arm)/a tattoo removed
- have/get a makeover/cosmetic surgery
- use/wear/apply/put on make-up/cosmetics
Fashion
- follow/keep up with (the) fashion/the latest fashions
- spend/waste money on designer clothes
- be fashionably/stylishly/well dressed
- have good/great/terrible/awful taste in clothes
- update/revamp your wardrobe
- be in/come into/go out of fashion
- be (back/very much) in vogue
- create a style/trend/vogue for something
- organize/put on a fashion show
- show/unveil a designer’s spring/summer collection
- sashay/strut down the catwalk/(North American English also) runway
- be on/do a photo/fashion shoot
Extra Examples
- She's having a tattoo done on her leg.
- I took to wearing a temporary tattoo on my ankle.
- I've decided to get my tattoo removed.
Topics Appearanceb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- distinctive
- temporary
- henna
- …
verb + tattoo
- do
- get
- have
- …
tattoo + noun
- parlour/parlor
- artist
preposition
- tattoo of
See full entry
(especially British English) an outdoor show by members of the armed forces that includes marching, music and military exercises
- the Edinburgh military tattoo
[usually singular] a rapid and continuous series of hits, especially on a drum as a military signal
- The drummers beat a tattoo each morning.
- Her fingers tapped a light tattoo on the table.
- George felt his heart begin to beat a tattoo against his ribs.

Word Originnoun sense 1 mid 18th cent.: from Tahitian, Tongan, and Samoan ta-tau or Marquesan ta-tu. Marquesan is the Polynesian language of the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific. noun senses 2 to 3 mid 17th cent. (originally as tap-too) from Dutch taptoe!, literally ‘close the tap (of the cask)!’.

tattoo

verb

/təˈtuː/

/tæˈtuː/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they tattoo	/təˈtuː/ /tæˈtuː/
he / she / it tattoos	/təˈtuːz/ /tæˈtuːz/
past simple tattooed	/təˈtuːd/ /tæˈtuːd/
past participle tattooed	/təˈtuːd/ /tæˈtuːd/
-ing form tattooing	/təˈtuːɪŋ/ /tæˈtuːɪŋ/

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to mark somebody’s skin with a tattoo
- tattoo A on B He had a heart tattooed on his shoulder.
- tattoo B (with A) His shoulder was tattooed with a heart.
- His body was heavily tattooed.
Word Originverb mid 18th cent.: from Tahitian, Tongan, and Samoan ta-tau or Marquesan ta-tu. Marquesan is the Polynesian language of the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific.