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• levy
  levy

  noun

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

  noun

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

levy

¹ American  

[lev-ee] / ˈlɛv i /

noun

• levies
  plural

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

2. the amount owed or collected.

3. the conscription of troops.

4. the troops conscripted.

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verb (used with object)

• levies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• levied,
  past participle,  past
• levying
  present participle

1. to impose (a tax).

   to levy a duty on imports.

2. to conscript (troops).

   Synonyms:

   enlist, draft

3. to start or wage (war).

verb (used without object)

• levies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• levied,
  past participle,  past
• levying
  present participle

1. to seize or attach property by judicial order.

Levy ² American  

[lee-vee, lev-ee, lee-vee, -vahy] / ˈli vi, ˈlɛv i, ˈli vi, -vaɪ /

noun

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

2. a male given name.

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levy British  

/ ˈlɛvɪ /

verb

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

2. to conscript troops for service

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

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noun

1. 1. the act of imposing and collecting a tax, tariff, etc

   2. the money so raised

2. 1. the conscription of troops for service

   2. a person conscripted in this way

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• levier
  noun
• relevy
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• levies
  plural

Participles

• levying
  present
• levied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• levy
  simple
• levies
  simple
• have levied
  perfect
• has levied
  perfect
• am levying
  progressive
• are levying
  progressive
• is levying
  progressive
• have been levying
  perfect progressive
• has been levying
  perfect progressive

Past

• levied
  simple
• had levied
  perfect
• was levying
  progressive
• were levying
  progressive
• had been levying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will levy
  simple
• will have levied
  perfect
• will be levying
  progressive
• will have been levying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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. levee ²

Explanation

Use the word levy as you would use the word tax: “When the state government imposed a levy on soft drinks, thousands of citizens took to the streets in protest.” The word levy can act as either a verb or a noun in a sentence. The noun levy refers to a charge, such as a tax, fine, or other fee, that is imposed on something. The verb levy is used to describe the act of imposing or collecting the charge. If you need to raise money, for example, you may decide to levy a fine on your family every time you have to make the coffee in the morning. (Be careful though: your family may also take to the streets in protest.)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

levy Levy levies levied levying

The levy officially went into effect at 12:01 a.m.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

Thus far, at least, investments in the biggest AI companies are keeping the frenzy going while the state’s billionaire class waits to see if voters back the new levy in November.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

A draft agreement would give Tehran oversight of ships entering the Persian Gulf but wouldn’t let it levy tolls or service fees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

He replaced those with a 10-percent global levy, which expired in July.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

Cob predicted a third levy tax after the harvests were in.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Barclays analyst Dan Levy said that Canadian production accounts for about 6% of U.S. auto sales, so a 50% tariff on vehicles is “likely manageable.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

But a key question remains on whether parts compliant with the USMCA, the trilateral trade pact, would continue to be exempt from levies, Levy wrote in a note Monday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Levy and Gosling are currently working together on “Star Wars: Starfighter,” the upcoming Lucasfilm title starring the “Barbie” actor as Kade Auberon — a mysterious starfighter pilot “from the wrong side of the galaxy.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Wilkins' mother, Mary Wilkins, said she takes a "small measure of comfort" that Levy is now locked up and will never be free again.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

“Ignatius! You told me Trixie was the name of some cute girl worked at Levy Pants. You told me you two liked each other. Now I find out she’s a grammaw can’t hardly write. Ignatius!”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Copper that would normally sit across global markets is being loaded onto ships bound for U.S. ports and warehouses, allowing it to clear customs before new levies might take effect.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

Canada on Tuesday announced tariffs on roughly $20 billion of U.S. goods, days after the U.S. escalated trade tension by enacting new levies on $20 billion of Canadian goods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

But economists said that strict levies from the second-largest U.S. trading partner could hit pockets of the U.S. economic system particularly hard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Oxford added it’s still possible for an off-ramp and de-escalation of trade tensions ahead of the Sept. 8 deadline Canada set to impose levies on U.S. products.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Theon arrived in Barbrey Dustin’s train, with her ladyship herself, her Barrowton levies, and the bride-to-be.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

By contrast, canals such as Panama or Suez, which are man‑made waterways, may be subject to tolls levied by the states that control them.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

The lawsuit is one of several legal actions that OpenAI is currently facing, including claims of trade-secret theft levied by iyO, a technology hardware startup.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

Any service fees levied by Iran would need consensus of the 176 members of the IMO.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

He has previously suggested the tax could be used to scrap stamp duty, which is levied when you buy a new property or land.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

If he was ordained, he would defy the edict, invoking the tenth commandment, which clearly said he was beholden to no laws beyond the ten—including any edicts levied by the Scythedom.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

From next year, Europe's biggest economy is set to join many other countries by levying a tax on sugary drinks in a bid to raise funds to support its under-pressure health system.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Jerry Brown signed into law, levying the state’s first gas tax increase in 23 years to fix California’s roads and bridges in disrepair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

And under the Constitution, isn’t levying taxes the province of Congress, not the executive branch?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025

He contradicts her account at times, levying fresh accusations.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2025

And this is exactly what happens in the question respecting the comparative advantages and inconveniencies of the two modes of levying taxes.

From An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Germain Garnier

Related Words

• burden
• duty
• excise
• fee
• tariff