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

Explanation

A charge or fee that a government imposes on a citizen or business is called a tax. Taxes help to pay for the services people (and businesses) receive from the government. There are many different kinds of taxes—on purchases, property, and income, for example—but all tax money is meant to pay for things that benefit people in society. For example, in many places schools, road repairs, fire departments, and health care for elderly and disabled people are all paid for with money from taxes. As a verb, tax can either mean "impose a tax on" or "put a strain or burden on."

Example Sentences

The U.S. budget deficit grew slightly in March in part due to lower corporate taxes and higher tax refunds.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Kansanback said dealers handle the tax and registration logistics routinely and have web-based tools to sort out what’s required state by state.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

His story topics range from tax reform to tariffs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

According to tax filings, his law firm received more than $2.2 million in 2024 from the group.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026

“And the staff and the tax audit and the media attention and the people who wanted Joey to throw the fight, too.”

From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

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