tariff

[tar-if]

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.

verb (used with object)

1. to subject to a tariff.

2. to put a valuation on according to a tariff.

tariff

/ 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

verb

1. to set a tariff on

2. to set a price on according to a schedule of tariffs

tariff

1. A government tax on imports, designed either to raise revenue or to protect domestic industry from foreign competition.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tariff¹

First recorded in 1585–95; earlier tariffa, from Italian, from Arabic taʿrīfah, derivative of ʿarrafa “to make known,” akin to ʿarafa “to know”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tariff¹

C16: from Italian tariffa, from Arabic ta`rīfa to inform

Example Sentences

The president has cut tariffs on grocery items like coffee, bananas, beef and avocados.

Read more on BBC

The U.S.’s fiscal year has kicked off with a record amount of tariff revenue flowing into the Treasury, while the government shutdown slightly reduced spending.

Read more on Barron's

Consumer concerns about inflation and the economy may lead to further tariff reductions, particularly on non-strategic imports.

Read more on Barron's

The retailer has had a brutal 2025, with shares falling 56% through Monday’s close due in part to tepid discretionary spending and headwinds from tariffs.

Read more on Barron's

The outlook continues to assume about $90 million in tariff expenses for the year, which represents about 1.7% of net sales.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.