tax

¹ American  

[taks] / tæks /

noun

1. a sum of money demanded by a government for its support or for specific facilities or services, levied upon incomes, property, sales, etc.

   Synonyms:

   levy, impost, duty

2. a burdensome charge, obligation, duty, or demand.

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verb (used with object)

1. (of a government)

   1. to demand a tax from (a person, business, etc.).

   2. to demand a tax in consideration of the possession or occurrence of (income, goods, sales, etc.), usually in proportion to the value of money involved.

2. to lay a burden on; make serious demands on.

   to tax one's resources.

   Synonyms:

   stretch, tire, strain

3. to take to task; censure; reprove; accuse.

   to tax one with laziness.

4. Informal. to charge.

   What did he tax you for that?

5. Archaic. to estimate or determine the amount or value of.

verb (used without object)

1. to levy taxes.

tax- ² American  

1. variant of taxo- before a vowel.

   taxeme.

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tax British  

/ tæks /

noun

1. a compulsory financial contribution imposed by a government to raise revenue, levied on the income or property of persons or organizations, on the production costs or sales prices of goods and services, etc

2. a heavy demand on something; strain

   a tax on our resources

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verb

1. to levy a tax on (persons, companies, etc, or their incomes, etc)

2. to make heavy demands on; strain

   to tax one's intellect

3. to accuse, charge, or blame

   he was taxed with the crime

4. to determine (the amount legally chargeable or allowable to a party to a legal action), as by examining the solicitor's bill of costs

   to tax costs

5. slang to steal

tax Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing tax

• death and taxes

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Other Word Forms

• antitax adjective
• nontax noun
• nontaxer noun
• protax adjective
• retax verb (used with object)
• self-taxed adjective
• subtaxer noun
• taxer noun
• taxingly adverb
• taxless adjective
• taxlessly adverb
• taxlessness noun
• undertaxed adjective
• untax verb (used with object)
• well-taxed adjective

Etymology

Origin of tax

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English taxen, from Medieval Latin taxāre, from Latin: “to appraise, charge, estimate,” literally, “to touch repeatedly,” from tangere “to touch”; noun derivative of the verb

Example Sentences

Analysts cited lower-than-expected gross and operating margins, partly due to an ERP transition, and a tax rate boost as investor concerns.

From Barron's

We live in a state with a low cost of living, but very high taxes.

From MarketWatch

It took violence, punitive taxes, the Intolerable Acts and more to spur Americans to take the extraordinary step of breaking with Britain.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, it also specified that, in order to safeguard the "image and reputation" of both the former king and the monarchy, "Juan Carlos should have his tax domicile in Spain".

From BBC

Faced with a dimming economic outlook, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to bolster the economy by slashing income and consumption taxes which have helped rebound consumer spending in recent quarters.

From Barron's

Related Words

• contribution
• cost
• duty
• expense
• fine
• levy
• price
• rate
• tariff