levy

[ lev-ee ]

/ ˈlɛv i /

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noun, plural lev·ies.

an imposing or collecting, as of a tax, by authority or force.

the amount owed or collected.

the conscription of troops.

the troops conscripted.

verb (used with object), lev·ied, lev·y·ing.

to impose (a tax): to levy a duty on imports.

to conscript (troops).

to start or wage (war).

verb (used without object), lev·ied, lev·y·ing.

to seize or attach property by judicial order.

OTHER WORDS FOR levy

6 draft, enlist, callup.

See synonyms for levy on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of levy

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English leve(e), from Middle French, noun use of feminine past participle of lever “to raise,” from Latin levāre, akin to levis “light”; cf. levee²

OTHER WORDS FROM levy

re·lev·y, verb (used with object), re·lev·ied, re·lev·y·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH levy

levee, levy

Other definitions for levy (2 of 2)

Levy

[ lee-vee, lev-ee for 1; lee-vee, -vahy for 2 ]

/ ˈli vi, ˈlɛv i for 1; ˈli vi, -vaɪ for 2 /

noun

Uriah Phillips, 1792–1862, U.S. naval commander.

a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use levy in a sentence

Another avenue could specifically address capital gains, to impose higher levies on those with investments.
The Problem With Obama’s Tax Math|Daniel Stone|September 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The new levies would fall primarily on families earning more than $1 million a year.
Debt Talks Back On|Howard Kurtz|July 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In 1792 Prince Joseph found himself at the head of his new levies opposed by the trained troops of those countries.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
If a man has not corn or money upon a man and levies a distraint, for every single distraint he shall pay one-third of a mina.
The Oldest Code of Laws in the World|Hammurabi, King of Babylon

There is Owen on the west to help you keep the peace in one way, and Herewald on the east to help you with the levies if need be.
A Prince of Cornwall|Charles W. Whistler
The disposition of the State levies that came thronging in was left to me as fast as they were armed.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various
Taken altogether, the hush undoubtedly levies a considerable tax on the patience of those anglers who fish in its vicinity.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland

British Dictionary definitions for levy

levy

/ (ˈlɛvɪ) /

verb levies, levying or levied (tr)

to impose and collect (a tax, tariff, fine, etc)

to conscript troops for service

to seize or attach (property) in accordance with the judgment of a court

noun plural levies

the act of imposing and collecting a tax, tariff, etc
the money so raised

the conscription of troops for service
a person conscripted in this way

Derived forms of levy

levier, noun

Word Origin for levy

C15: from Old French levée a raising, from lever, from Latin levāre to raise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

levy

OTHER WORDS FOR levy

Origin of levy

OTHER WORDS FROM levy

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH levy

Other definitions for levy (2 of 2)

Words related to levy

How to use levy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for levy

Derived forms of levy

Word Origin for levy