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

Europe imposed anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese electric cars, while the U.S. enacted a 100% tariff on all Chinese car imports.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Profit at the German company nearly halved last year due to $1.2 billion in part because of increased U.S. tariff costs.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Both sides instead pointed to continuity in the October trade truce, under which Washington suspended steep tariff increases on Chinese goods while Beijing eased back from restricting rare earth exports.

From BBC • May 14, 2026

The Financial Times’ Gideon Rachman has pointed out that China still has a monopoly on rare earth minerals, which they used to great advantage during the recent tariff war.

From Salon • May 14, 2026

The tariff controversy was settled, but it hinted at a greater problem.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Related Words

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