taxing

[tak-sing]

See more synonyms for taxing on Thesaurus.com

adjective

wearingly burdensome: the day-to-day, taxing duties of a supervisor.

Origin of taxing

First recorded in 1790–1800; tax + -ing²

Related formstax·ing·ly, adverbun·tax·ing, adjective

tax

[taks]

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

(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.
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.

verb (used without object)

to levy taxes.

Origin of tax

1250–1300; (v.) Middle English taxen < Medieval Latin taxāre to tax, appraise, Latin: to appraise, handle, frequentative of tangere to touch; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.

Related formstax·er, nountax·ing·ly, adverbtax·less, adjectivetax·less·ly, adverbtax·less·ness, nounan·ti·tax, adjectivenon·tax, noun, adjectivenon·tax·er, nounpro·tax, adjectivere·tax, verb (used with object)self-taxed, adjectivesub·tax·er, nounun·der·taxed, adjectiveun·tax, verb (used with object)well-taxed, adjective

Can be confusedtacks tax

Synonyms

See more synonyms for tax on Thesaurus.com

1. duty, impost, levy. 4. strain, tire, stretch.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for taxing

Contemporary Examples

Calibrating every facial expression, that's the hardest and most taxing part.
Michael Sam Is Not a ‘Distraction’
Dave Cullen
February 12, 2014
At a fundraiser in Sun Valley, Clint had gone way off message, talking about taxing Olympic medals and rambling on.
“Double Down”: 13 Must Read Moments from the New Book
William O’Connor
November 7, 2013
Or they could go the route of taxing people based on usage—effectively, a toll for the number of miles you drive.
North Carolina Punishes Owners of Gas Efficient Cars
Daniel Gross
June 11, 2013
Yet a few years later, they're all sunshine and smiles when it comes to taxing the internet.
Why is Amazon Supporting an Internet Sales Tax?
Megan McArdle
May 6, 2013
But the solution imposed on Cyprus–taxing big deposits–may pave the way for the next European financial crisis.
The Resolution of the Cyprus Banking Collapse Paves the Way for More Crises
Robert Shapiro
April 1, 2013

Historical Examples

Lived during the reign of William Pitt, and believed in taxing tea.
Who Was Who: 5000 B. C. to Date
Anonymous
Prosper looked about him, taxing his recollection fruitlessly.
The Downfall
Emile Zola
But he shook off his fear, taxing himself with being childish, when he wished to be strong.
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola
He told her what had been so suddenly revealed to him, taxing her with it.
Mistress Wilding
Rafael Sabatini
It was this problem that was taxing all my ingenuity, and which, as yet, I had not quite solved.
Against Odds
Lawrence L. Lynch

British Dictionary definitions for taxing

taxing

adjective

demanding, onerous, and wearing

Derived Formstaxingly, adverb

tax

noun

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; straina tax on our resources

verb (tr)

to levy a tax on (persons, companies, etc, or their incomes, etc)
to make heavy demands on; strainto tax one's intellect
to accuse, charge, or blamehe 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 coststo tax costs
slang to steal

Derived Formstaxer, nountaxless, adjective

Word Origin

C13: from Old French taxer, from Latin taxāre to appraise, from tangere to touch

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

Word Origin and History for taxing

tax

n.

early 14c., "obligatory contribution levied by a sovereign or government," from Anglo-French tax, Old French taxe, and directly from Medieval Latin taxa, from Latin taxare (see tax (v.)). Related: taxes. Tax shelter is attested from 1961.

tax

v.

c.1300, "impose a tax on," from Old French taxer "impose a tax" (13c.), from Latin taxare "evaluate, estimate, assess, handle," also "censure, charge," probably a frequentative form of tangere "to touch" (see tangent). Sense of "burden, put a strain on" first recorded 1670s; that of "censure, reprove" is from 1560s. Its use in Luke ii for Greek apographein "to enter on a list, enroll" is due to Tyndale. Related: Taxed; taxing.

Idioms and Phrases with taxing

tax

In addition to the idiom beginning with tax

tax with

also see:

death and taxes

taxing

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tax

Origin of tax

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for taxing

Contemporary Examples

Calibrating every facial expression, that's the hardest and most taxing part.

At a fundraiser in Sun Valley, Clint had gone way off message, talking about taxing Olympic medals and rambling on.

Or they could go the route of taxing people based on usage—effectively, a toll for the number of miles you drive.

Yet a few years later, they're all sunshine and smiles when it comes to taxing the internet.

But the solution imposed on Cyprus–taxing big deposits–may pave the way for the next European financial crisis.

Historical Examples

Lived during the reign of William Pitt, and believed in taxing tea.

Prosper looked about him, taxing his recollection fruitlessly.

But he shook off his fear, taxing himself with being childish, when he wished to be strong.

He told her what had been so suddenly revealed to him, taxing her with it.

It was this problem that was taxing all my ingenuity, and which, as yet, I had not quite solved.

taxing

tax

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for taxing

tax

n.

tax

v.

Idioms and Phrases with taxing

tax

Origin of taxing