tax
a sum of money demanded by a government for its support or for specific facilities or services, levied upon incomes, property, sales, etc.
a burdensome charge, obligation, duty, or demand.
(of a government)
to demand a tax from (a person, business, etc.).
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.
to lay a burden on; make serious demands on: to tax one's resources.
to take to task; censure; reprove; accuse: to tax one with laziness.
Informal. to charge: What did he tax you for that?
Archaic. to estimate or determine the amount or value of.
to levy taxes.
Origin of tax
1Other words for tax
Other words from tax
- taxer, noun
- tax·ing·ly, adverb
- taxless, adjective
- tax·less·ly, adverb
- tax·less·ness, noun
- an·ti·tax, adjective
- non·tax, noun, adjective
- non·tax·er, noun
- pro·tax, adjective
- re·tax, verb (used with object)
- self-taxed, adjective
- sub·tax·er, noun
- un·der·taxed, adjective
- un·tax, verb (used with object)
- well-taxed, adjective
Words that may be confused with tax
- tacks, tax
Other definitions for tax- (2 of 2)
variant of taxo- before a vowel: taxeme.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tax in a sentence
Have you tried to access the research that your tax dollars finance, almost all of which is kept behind a paywall?
His life as a man is built around health insurance and tax services.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President | Pierre Assouline | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTCocaine busts, tax cheats, and bribe-taking, born-again Christians: Welcome to the political scandals of 2014.
In response to the screen quota cut, South Korea established a “cinema tax” on the box office.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea | Rich Goldstein | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTtax evasion carries a maximum penalty of five years, and thus it seems likely that Grimm would be covered by the provision.
The Felon Who Wouldn’t Leave Congress | Ben Jacobs, David Freedlander | December 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The law went into operation in England imposing a tax on wearing hair powder.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellIn former years, Korea had paid an annual tribute or tax to China, but for some time it had been held back by this king.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. PikeMr. Jackson supposed that Parliament had a right to tax America, but he much doubted the expediency of the present act.
The Eve of the Revolution | Carl BeckerIn tax-paying circles it is said that the fashionable thing will be to start now and let the airship overtake you if it can.
The stamps, in remote districts, would frequently require more in postage to obtain than the value of the tax.
The Eve of the Revolution | Carl Becker
British Dictionary definitions for tax
/ (tæks) /
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
a heavy demand on something; strain: a tax on our resources
to levy a tax on (persons, companies, etc, or their incomes, etc)
to make heavy demands on; strain: to tax one's intellect
to accuse, charge, or blame: he was taxed with the crime
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
slang to steal
Origin of tax
1Derived forms of tax
- taxer, noun
- taxless, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with tax
In addition to the idiom beginning with tax
- tax with
also see:
- death and taxes
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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