tariff

American  

[tar-if] / ˈtær ɪf /

noun

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)

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

• pretariff noun
• protariff adjective
• retariff verb (used with object)
• tariffless adjective

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

Daiwa expects the blended tariff cut of around 0.03 yuan per kilowatt hour to weigh on margins this year, leading to over 20% drop in the company’s core earnings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

The power producer faces tariff pressure, with management expecting an average tariff decline of less than 0.03 yuan per kilowatt hour for 2026, the analysts note.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

U.S. stocks have staged a big rebound over the past two weeks following what was, by some measures, the worst stretch for the market since last April’s tariff tumult.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

There, prime minister Mark Carney rowed back the extra tariff on some Chinese electric vehicles.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

“So six bolts of silk at twice the price, plus the tariff, but minus my bargain to you as a Zoroastrian would be one hundred forty-seven drachms.”

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

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