tariff

American  

[tar-if] / ˈtær ɪf /

noun

tariffs plural

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

• pretariff
  noun
• protariff
  adjective
• tariffless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tariffs
  plural

Participles

• tariffing
  present
• tariffed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tariff
  simple
• tariffs
  simple
• have tariffed
  perfect
• has tariffed
  perfect
• am tariffing
  progressive
• are tariffing
  progressive
• is tariffing
  progressive
• have been tariffing
  perfect progressive
• has been tariffing
  perfect progressive

Past

• tariffed
  simple
• had tariffed
  perfect
• was tariffing
  progressive
• were tariffing
  progressive
• had been tariffing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tariff
  simple
• will have tariffed
  perfect
• will be tariffing
  progressive
• will have been tariffing
  perfect 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 proponents offer a variety of justifications for raising levies from the near-zero average levels that prevailed before last year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

He professed a belief in laissez-faire economics, signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, and remained over-focused on the value of the U.S. dollar.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 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

Tariff risks have eased but other external threats have grown, said DBS economists.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The Protective Tariff of 1816 was introduced and defended, respectively, by two South Carolinians—Lowndes and Calhoun.

From The Rise of Cotton Mills in the South by Mitchell, Broadus

Related Words

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