1To stick, paste, or affix something (e.g., paper, sticker, label) onto a surface. Usually written 貼る in this sense.
ポスターを壁に貼った。
I put up a poster on the wall.
封筒に切手を貼ってください。
Please put a stamp on the envelope.
スマホに保護フィルムを貼ってもらった。
I had a screen protector put on my phone.
傷口に絆創膏を貼っておいた。
I put a bandage on the wound.
2To stretch, spread, or tighten something taut (a string, rope, fabric, sheet, etc.); also to put up or pitch (a tent).
キャンプ場に着いたら、まずテントを張ろう。
Once we get to the campsite, let's pitch the tent first.
ギターの弦をきつく張りすぎると切れてしまうよ。
If you tighten the guitar strings too much, they'll snap.
庭にロープを張って洗濯物を干した。
I stretched a rope across the yard and hung the laundry on it.
3To form a thin layer or sheet on a surface — typically ice forming on water or frost forming on a window.
今朝、池に薄い氷が張っていた。
This morning, a thin layer of ice had formed on the pond.
冷え込みのきつい夜、窓ガラスに霜が張った。
On the bitterly cold night, frost formed on the window pane.
4To fill (something) with liquid, or to become full / taut / bloated. Common in phrases like 水を張る (fill with water) and お腹が張る (feel bloated).
お風呂にお湯を張っておいてね。
Go ahead and fill the bath with hot water, would you?
食べすぎてお腹が張って苦しい。
I overate and now I feel painfully bloated.
風船に空気を入れると、パンパンに張る。
When you blow air into a balloon, it stretches tight as a drum.
5To stick out, push out, or thrust forward (often a body part). The set phrase 胸を張る (puff out one's chest) means to act or walk confidently.
彼女は胸を張って表彰台に上がった。
She walked up to the podium with her chest held high.
もっと自信を持って、胸を張って歩きなさい。
Have more confidence — walk with your chest out.
6To post or paste (a URL, image, screenshot, etc.) online — in a chat, forum, or social media. Usually written 貼る.
参考になる記事のURLをチャットに貼っておいたよ。
I pasted the URL of a helpful article in the chat.
スクショを貼ってもらえると話が早い。
If you can paste a screenshot, it'll be a lot faster to explain.
7To be costly or pricey. Used in expressions like 値段が張る (be on the expensive side); somewhat colloquial.
この時計はちょっと値段が張るけど、長く使えるよ。
This watch is a bit on the pricey side, but it'll last a long time.
結婚式は何かと費用が張るものだ。
Weddings tend to cost a lot, one way or another.
8To set up or maintain a watch, guard, or surveillance. Used in compounds like 警戒を張る (be on alert), 監視を張る (keep surveillance), 網を張る (cast a net / lay in wait).
警察は容疑者のアジト周辺に監視を張った。
The police set up surveillance around the suspect's hideout.
事件後、空港では厳重な警戒を張っている。
After the incident, the airport has been on heightened alert.
9To slap someone with an open hand. Most often used in the expression 頬を張る (slap on the cheek).
あまりの無礼さに、思わず頬を張ってしまった。
His rudeness was so over the top that I slapped him before I could stop myself.
目を覚ませと、自分の頬を張った。
I slapped my own cheek to snap myself awake.
10Mahjong term: to reach tenpai — the state of being just one tile away from completing a winning hand. Written 張る in this sense.
ようやく張ったので、すぐにリーチをかけた。
I finally got to tenpai, so I declared riichi right away.
11Mathematical term (linear algebra): for a set of vectors to span or generate a (sub)space. Used as in 「ベクトルが空間を張る」.
二つの一次独立なベクトルは平面を張る。
Two linearly independent vectors span a plane.