tithe
Americannoun
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Sometimes tithes. the tenth part of agricultural produce or personal income set apart as an offering to God or for works of mercy, or the same amount regarded as an obligation or tax for the support of the church, priesthood, or the like.
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any tax, levy, or the like, especially of one-tenth.
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a tenth part or any indefinitely small part of anything.
verb (used with object)
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to give or pay a tithe or tenth of (produce, money, etc.).
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to give or pay tithes on (crops, income, etc.).
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to exact a tithe from (a person, community, parish, etc.).
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to levy a tithe on (crops, income, etc.).
verb (used without object)
noun
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(often plural) Christianity a tenth part of agricultural or other produce, personal income, or profits, contributed either voluntarily or as a tax for the support of the church or clergy or for charitable purposes
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any levy, esp of one tenth
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a tenth or very small part of anything
verb
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(tr)
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to exact or demand a tithe or tithes from (an individual or group)
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to levy a tithe upon (a crop or amount of produce, etc)
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(intr) to pay a tithe or tithes
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
tithesimple
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tithessimple
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have tithedperfect
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has tithedperfect
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am tithingprogressive
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are tithingprogressive
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is tithingprogressive
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have been tithingperfect progressive
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has been tithingperfect progressive
Past
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tithedsimple
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had tithedperfect
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was tithingprogressive
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were tithingprogressive
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had been tithingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tithe
First recorded before 900; (for the noun) Middle English ti(ghe)the, Old English teogotha tenth; (for the verb) Middle English tithen, Old English teogothian “to take the tenth of,” derivative of the noun
Explanation
To tithe is to make a contribution equal to one-tenth of your income, usually to a church or religious institution. Devout church-goers usually tithe, even in years when their finances are very tight. Tithe comes from the Old English word teogotha, which means “tenth.” To tithe is to relinquish one-tenth of your personal income, either as a mandatory contribution, a voluntary donation, or as a levy. In ancient times farmers were required to tithe a portion of their crops. You may suspect that some of the wealthiest members of your church don’t really tithe as expected.
Vocabulary lists containing tithe
The Pearl
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Liberty, Equality, Vocabulary: The French Revolution
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"A Modest Proposal," Vocabulary from the satire
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Issues of Seren Gomer, the first newspaper to be published in Welsh, are missing, as are a number of tithe maps produced between 1838 and 1850.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2023
“Believing God wants you to tithe and doing it are two different things,” Mr. McConnell said.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
People produced what they were going to consume, and surplus went to the lord or the church as a mandatory tax, usually 10 percent, called the tithe.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
To this day, Latter-day Saints are expected to meet with local bishops every year and state that they have paid a full tithe.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2023
If there has ever been a conqueror who did not exact this most devastating tithe from his subjects, he is unknown to history.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
That includes tithes; regular donations amounting to 10% of a person’s income expected from members of the church.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
One in 4 of said tithes can go to a secular charity, up from 18% in a 2017 poll.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
Leaders would sometimes demand to see members’ pay stubs and sit on members’ porches until they arrived home to collect their tithes before Sunday evening was over, the suits allege.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2023
Church leaders had anticipated that: outside the auditorium were rows of card machines, and inside, bank numbers flashed on a giant screen so worshipers could transfer their tithes instead.
From New York Times ● Feb. 22, 2023
Why, others asked, should all their tithes go to helping strangers, to the extent of building a room to feed them supper?
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
On top of retirement, they also saved 10% of their take-home income for emergencies and future expenses, and tithed an additional 10% to their church.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
“The parish treasurer was really excited because I tithed my winnings, so that was a nice plus for the bottom line of the parish,” Sibley says.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
People drove up at sundown, tithed by purchasing a ticket and “worshiped” collectively in front of the huge outdoor screen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2016
The most exciting reveal in the Hebrew writings was a tract, written around 200 A.D., which placed the tithed watermelons in the same category as figs, grapes, and pomegranates.
From National Geographic ● Aug. 21, 2015
Every pleasure I had was tithed by sorrow.
From A Singer from the Sea by Barr, Amelia Edith Huddleston
Televangelists such as Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and Kenneth Copeland were preaching fire and brimstone and the importance of tithing.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2025
According to the affidavit, Jiang had been a member of the church since April and had given the church a donation of more than $450 in June as part of a tithing challenge.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
Lifeway Research released on Tuesday results from a September poll showing that 77% of churchgoers say tithing “is a biblical command that still applies today,” down 6 percentage points from a 2017 survey.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
Facing financial ruin, the church's prophet and president in 1899, Lorenzo Snow, urged members to redouble their commitment to tithing.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2023
My mother urged me to start tithing as a way of thanking God for all the good luck.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
