tax
noun
a sum of money demanded by a government for its support or for specific facilities or services, levied upon incomes, property, sales, etc.
tax
1 American
[taks]
/ tæks /
noun
-
taxes
plural
verb (used with object)
-
taxes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
taxed,
past participle, past
-
taxing
present participle
-
(of a government)
-
to demand a tax from (a person, business, etc.).
-
to demand a tax in consideration of the possession or occurrence of (income, goods, sales, etc.), usually in proportion to the value of money involved.
-
-
to lay a burden on; make serious demands on.
to tax one's resources.
-
to take to task; censure; reprove; accuse.
to tax one with laziness.
-
Informal. to charge.
What did he tax you for that?
-
Archaic. to estimate or determine the amount or value of.
verb (used without object)
-
taxes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
taxed,
past participle, past
-
taxing
present participle
tax-
2
American
tax
British
/ tæks /
noun
-
a compulsory financial contribution imposed by a government to raise revenue, levied on the income or property of persons or organizations, on the production costs or sales prices of goods and services, etc
-
a heavy demand on something; strain
a tax on our resources
verb
-
to levy a tax on (persons, companies, etc, or their incomes, etc)
-
to make heavy demands on; strain
to tax one's intellect
-
to accuse, charge, or blame
he was taxed with the crime
-
to determine (the amount legally chargeable or allowable to a party to a legal action), as by examining the solicitor's bill of costs
to tax costs
-
slang to steal
tax
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nontaxnoun
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nontaxernoun
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subtaxernoun
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taxernoun
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taxlessnessnoun
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retaxverb (used with object)
-
untaxverb (used with object)
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antitaxadjective
-
protaxadjective
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self-taxedadjective
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taxlessadjective
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undertaxedadjective
-
well-taxedadjective
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taxinglyadverb
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taxlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
taxsimple
-
taxessimple
-
have taxedperfect
-
has taxedperfect
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am taxingprogressive
-
are taxingprogressive
-
is taxingprogressive
-
have been taxingperfect progressive
-
has been taxingperfect progressive
Past
-
taxedsimple
-
had taxedperfect
-
was taxingprogressive
-
were taxingprogressive
-
had been taxingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tax
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English taxen, from Medieval Latin taxāre, from Latin: “to appraise, charge, estimate,” literally, “to touch repeatedly,” from tangere “to touch”; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
A charge or fee that a government imposes on a citizen or business is called a tax. Taxes help to pay for the services people (and businesses) receive from the government. There are many different kinds of taxes—on purchases, property, and income, for example—but all tax money is meant to pay for things that benefit people in society. For example, in many places schools, road repairs, fire departments, and health care for elderly and disabled people are all paid for with money from taxes. As a verb, tax can either mean "impose a tax on" or "put a strain or burden on."
Vocabulary lists containing tax
Citizenship (Civics) - Middle School
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Economics
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Ratios and Proportional Relationships
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In the U.S., factors such as tax implications may push us to buy at the margin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Joshua had signed for a UK fight and moving it to America would have left him worse off because of the tax implications.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
In exchange, government officials hope to secure their regions’ economic future through increased tax revenues, new jobs, and higher wages for residents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Until recently, city leaders were hesitant to commit Measure ULA funds over concerns that the tax could be overturned in court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
He saw an article that talked about special classes in the new school that had just been built in New London with tax money from the oil companies.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Black socialized with Jeffrey Epstein and turned to him for tax- and estate-planning advice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
Under threat of having its tax- exempt status revoked, the DAR reversed the decision and, in 1984, granted Ferguson full membership.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 5, 2022
Federal law also allows up to $10,000 annually in tax- and penalty-free withdrawals for elementary, middle and high school tuition, but California does not.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2022
The limit on tax- free withdrawals from registered retirement savings plans for first-time buyers will be raised to C$35,000, from C$25,000, the first change to the limit in a decade.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 19, 2019
She used to have an office downtown, but David got kicked out of day care, so now she runs her tax- preparation business from our spare bedroom.
From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord
They are also exempt from state and local taxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Although heating oil is exempt from the transportation taxes that diesel carries, it has its own delivery costs from drivers who show up at a home or business to fill tanks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
This is how the Internal Revenue Service responds to a change in a taxpayer’s filing status: When one spouse dies, the survivor often ends up paying higher taxes on lower income.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
By taking these steps, you’ll save money on taxes and spare your future self a major financial headache at a difficult time.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Real estate taxes in Shaker were higher than anywhere else, but residents certainly got their money’s worth.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
"Pensioners certainly shouldn't get taxed, they've worked all their lives and they get taxed on their pension," she said, adding: "I work hard, my partner works hard, and then they tax you on child benefit."
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
A small group of men hoards wealth and resources, while the peasant class is heavily taxed, laws brutally enforced.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Poverty, unemployment and bureaucratic red tape force tens of millions of Africans into work that is not regulated, taxed or protected by the government.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Withdrawals are taxed like ordinary income, inflation included.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
The frontal lobe, the executive functions, get so overloaded, so taxed, that there are fewer resources left to make a good decision.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
The harsh environment of Burning Man — which for some people is part of the appeal — is famously taxing.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
It added that going home early is called an "early shove" in the aviation industry and is considered an informal perk for staff, sometimes offered after especially taxing shifts.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
"The whole point of being rich is you can live wherever you want," said Pearl, a chair of Patriotic Millionaires, a group of wealthy Americans who advocate for taxing the rich.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Money from taxing net investment income would contribute to the program’s finances, “so it isn’t just the younger generation that has to pay for solvency,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Even with the lovely librarian lurking, I kept to myself so I wouldn’t have to engage in any taxing conversation or answer any probing questions.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
