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:
The Musk tithe seems characteristic of an project that so far has divulged few specific details over what would be cut, but promises to reap great personal benefits for its appointed heads.
From Salon ● Nov. 15, 2024
About 19% said they regularly give less than a full tithe, 22% said they are inconsistent in their giving and 9% said their finances make it difficult for them to give.
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
She says both congregants and local pastors at her former church were expected to give a "tithe" of 10% of their monthly income to finance the church and its leadership in Nigeria.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2023
Every year at around this time the monks came down from their mountainside temple to collect their tithe of rice.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
There were also quarrels over cash, Ms. Kahindi’s daughter said, adding that Mr. Mackenzie was suspected of pocketing tithes.
From New York Times ● May 14, 2023
Churchome is primarily supported by membership tithes and offerings, according to a 2021-2022 financial report.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 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
Vaðmál could be used to pay taxes and tithes, but it could also be traded or sold for making clothes and other necessities.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 15, 2022
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
Moses exempted certain things from the tithe; the Pharisee had tithed his entire income.
From The Gospel of Luke, An Exposition by Erdman, Charles Rosenbury
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
The church has filed for a rehearing in the appeals court, saying the church president had explained the project would be paid for through investment earnings and not tithing funds.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
“The small decline in considering tithing a command appears to be more from a lack of teaching on the subject than a rejection of such teaching.”
From Washington Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
By 1907, Snow's successor, Joseph F. Smith, jubilantly announced that tithing income had paid off all the church's loans.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2023
I said, “Yes, ma’am! I’d’ve had you two of ’em, but I had to do some tithing and got jacklegged.”
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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.
