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)

tariffs, present (3rd person singular) tariffed, past participle, past tariffing present participle

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

Derived Forms

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

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have tariffed
  perfect
• has tariffed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is tariffing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are tariffing
  progressive
• tariffs
  singular 3rd person
• has been tariffing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been tariffing
  perfect progressive
• tariffing
  participle
• am tariffing
  progressive 1st person singular

Past

• had tariffed
  perfect
• was tariffing
  progressive singular
• were tariffing
  progressive plural
• had been tariffing
  perfect progressive
• tariffed
  simple
• tariffed
  participle

Future

• will tariff
  simple
• will have tariffed
  perfect
• will have been tariffing
  perfect progressive
• will be tariffing
  progressive

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

In February, he enacted an across-the-board 10% tariff under a temporary authority that will expire in July.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

He also announced possible tariff hikes on Brazilian products, much to the displeasure of the Lula administration.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Oxford Economics estimates that tariff pass-through to consumer prices added more than 0.5 percentage points to inflation.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Economists attribute the resurgence to factors including fewer tariff changes and a possible return to work by some immigrants.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 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