DictionaryAI

tyre

noun · Tyre proper noun · verb
TY-uh/taɪə(ɹ)/USTY-ur/taɪɚ/

Pluraltyres

US spellingtire

7 meanings of tyre

Practice

  1. 1
    rubber ringnouncountable
    The ring of rubber or plastic that goes around a wheel, either filled with air or solid.

    We got a flat tyre on the way to the beach.

    Dad checks the tyres on the car before every long trip.

    UsageWe say a flat tyre. Do not mix it up with tire, to get tired.

    Note
  2. 2
    city in Lebanonproper noun · Tyre
    A large port city in Lebanon, by the sea, that was important in ancient times.

    We took a bus from Beirut to Tyre to see the old ruins by the sea.

    Fishing boats come into the old harbour at Tyre every morning.

  3. 3
    metal rimnouncountable
    A strong metal ring around the edge of a wheel, used on horse-drawn carriages and on trains.

    The blacksmith fitted a new iron tyre to the cart wheel.

    The old coach rattled over the cobbles on its iron tyres.

    Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1, 3–4

No one is sure where it comes from: it may come from attire or from the verb tie. Tyre is the British spelling; in the US and Canada it is tire.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Meanings 5–6

Possibly a short form of attire.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

Meaning 2

From the Phoenician word for 'rock', because the town was first built on a rocky place.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

  • The town’s name ultimately derives from the Phoenician word for ‘rock’. en.wiktionary.org
  • The name refers to the rocky place on which the town was first built. en.wiktionary.org