tariff

American  

[tar-if] / ˈtær ɪf /

noun

1. an official list or table showing the duties or customs imposed by a government on imports or exports.

2. the schedule or system of duties so imposed.

3. any duty or rate of duty in such a list or schedule.

4. any table of charges, as of a railroad, bus line, etc.

5. bill; cost; charge.

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verb (used with object)

tariffs, present (3rd person singular) tariffed, past participle, past tariffing present participle

1. to subject to a tariff.

2. to put a valuation on according to a tariff.

tariff British  

/ ˈtærɪf /

noun

1. 1. a tax levied by a government on imports or occasionally exports for purposes of protection, support of the balance of payments, or the raising of revenue

   2. a system or list of such taxes

2. any schedule of prices, fees, fares, etc

3. 1. a method of charging for the supply of services, esp public services, such as gas and electricity

      block tariff

   2. a schedule of such charges

4. a bill of fare with prices listed; menu

5. the level of punishment imposed for a criminal offence

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verb

1. to set a tariff on

2. to set a price on according to a schedule of tariffs

tariff Cultural  

1. A government tax on imports, designed either to raise revenue or to protect domestic industry from foreign competition.

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Usage

What does tariff mean? A tariff is a tax or duty on products that come into a country (imports) or leave it (exports), imposed by the country’s government. A tariff is also the list of taxes a government imposes on imports and exports. To tariff can mean to subject to a tariff. Example: There is a high tariff on foreign music CDs, so I just stream it instead.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• protariff
  adjective
• pretariff
  noun
• tariffless
  adjective
• retariff
  verb (used with object)

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have tariffed
  perfect
• has tariffed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is tariffing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are tariffing
  progressive
• tariffs
  singular 3rd person
• has been tariffing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been tariffing
  perfect progressive
• tariffing
  participle
• am tariffing
  progressive 1st person singular

Past

• had tariffed
  perfect
• was tariffing
  progressive singular
• were tariffing
  progressive plural
• had been tariffing
  perfect progressive
• tariffed
  simple
• tariffed
  participle

Future

• will tariff
  simple
• will have tariffed
  perfect
• will have been tariffing
  perfect progressive
• will be tariffing
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of tariff

First recorded in 1585–95; earlier tariffa, from Italian, from Arabic taʿrīfah, derivative of ʿarrafa “to make known,” akin to ʿarafa “to know”

Explanation

A tariff is a kind of tax on goods a country imports or exports. If you want to buy a European-made car in the U.S., the price will include tariffs the government adds to the price of imported vehicles. Usually a government imposes a tariff to encourage its own industries and to discourage buying cheaper imports from other countries. If a government wants to protect its own clothing industry, it may add a tariff to imported clothing, to make sure that the imported clothes aren't cheaper than the locally manufactured items. You can control exports, too, by imposing tariffs. As a verb, you can say "the government tariffs certain imports and exports."

Example Sentences

Tariff costs will vary by the particular business and individual, but most Americans are getting stung whether they know it or not.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

Tariff refunds are expected to slow U.S. budget deficit improvement, which saw a 10% cash increase from October to March.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Tariff refunds are getting closer to flowing into bank accounts, with the U.S. government slated to start processing refund claims on Monday.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

Double-digit earnings growth and significant hedging by traders could mean a rerun of the rebound seen after last year’s Tariff Tantrum.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Passage of the Tariff of 1832 by the House of Representatives.

From The Middle Period 1817-1858 by Burgess, John William

Related Words

• cost
• duty
• excise
• levy
• price
• rate
• tax
• toll