definitions

levy

[ lev-ee ]
/ ˈlɛv i /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR levy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural lev·ies.

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

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

to seize or attach property by judicial order.

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RELATED WORDS

duty, fee, tariff, excise, burden, collect, exact, raise, gathering, imposition, muster, collection, custom, toll, impost, exaction, extort, set, wrest, gather

Nearby words

levotorsion, levoversion, levulinic acid, levulose, levulosemia, levy, levy en masse, lew, lewd, lewes, lewis

Origin of levy

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

Related forms

re·lev·y, verb (used with object), re·lev·ied, re·lev·y·ing.self-lev·ied, adjectiveun·lev·ied, adjective

Can be confused

levee levy

Definition 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. 2019

Examples from the Web for levy

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

  1. the act of imposing and collecting a tax, tariff, etc
  2. the money so raised
  1. the conscription of troops for service
  2. a person conscripted in this way

Derived Forms

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