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View synonyms for ton

ton

1

[ tuhn ]

noun

  1. a unit of weight, equivalent to 2000 pounds (0.907 metric ton) avoirdupois short ton, or net ton in the United States and 2240 pounds (1.016 metric tons) avoirdupois long ton in Great Britain.
  2. Also called freight ton. a unit of volume for freight that weighs one ton, varying with the type of freight measured, as 40 cubic feet of oak timber or 20 bushels of wheat.
  3. a unit of volume used in transportation by sea, commonly equal to 40 cubic feet (1.13 cu. m) shipping ton, or measurement ton.
  4. a unit of internal capacity of ships, equal to 100 cubic feet (2.83 cu. m) register ton.
  5. Often tons. Informal. a great quantity; a lot:

    a ton of jokes;

    tons of wedding presents.

  6. British Informal. a speed of 100 miles per hour.


ton

2

[ ton, French tawn ]

noun

  1. high fashion; stylishness.
  2. the current fashion, style, or vogue.
  3. the ton, (used with a singular or plural verb) fashionable society.

-ton

3
  1. a suffix formerly used to form nouns from adjectives:

    simpleton; singleton.

ton

1

/ tʌn /

noun

  1. slang.
    a score or achievement of a hundred, esp a hundred miles per hour, as on a motorcycle
“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

ton

2

/ tʌn /

noun

  1. Also calledlong ton a unit of weight equal to 2240 pounds or 1016.046909 kilograms
  2. Also calledshort tonnet ton a unit of weight equal to 2000 pounds or 907.184 kilograms
  3. Also calledmetric tontonne a unit of weight equal to 1000 kilograms
  4. Also calledfreight ton a unit of volume or weight used for charging or measuring freight in shipping. It depends on the type of material being shipped but is often taken as 40 cubic feet, 1 cubic metre, or 1000 kilograms

    freight is charged at £40 per ton of 1 cubic metre

  5. Also calledmeasurement tonshipping ton a unit of volume used in shipping freight, equal to 40 cubic feet, irrespective of the commodity shipped
  6. Also calleddisplacement ton a unit used for measuring the displacement of a ship, equal to 35 cubic feet of sea water or 2240 pounds
  7. Also calledregister ton a unit of internal capacity of ships equal to 100 cubic feet
“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

ton

3

/ tɔ̃ /

noun

  1. style, fashion, or distinction
“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

ton

/ tŭn /

  1. A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms).
  2. Also called short ton
  3. See Table at measurement
  4. A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to 2,240 pounds (1,008 kilograms).
  5. Also called long ton
  6. See Table at measurement
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Other Words From

  • ton·ish ton·nish [ton, -ish], adjective
  • ton·ish·ly ton·nish·ly adverb
  • ton·ish·ness ton·nish·ness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ton1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; variant of tun

Origin of ton2

First recorded in 1760–70; from French, from Latin tonus tone

Origin of ton3

Variant of dial. tone one ( tother )
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ton1

C20: special use of ton 1applied to quantities of one hundred

Origin of ton2

C14: variant of tun

Origin of ton3

C18: from French, from Latin tonus tone
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Idioms and Phrases

see like a ton of bricks .
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Example Sentences

Century missed, Bethell received a rousing ovation from the crowd and a consoling pat on the back from Duckett, who fell short of his own ton by playing on off Southee.

From BBC

During the pandemic, she hosted a podcast called “The Sandwich Universe” and made tons of sandwiches.

After that reading, “It’s like, ‘Oh, God, yeah, she wants tons of stuff to be done.’”

This century in Wellington, from 91 balls, was Brook's second Test ton at better than a run a ball.

From BBC

Santa Clara county hospitals have illegally dumped tons of biohazardous waste, including prescription drugs, human tissue and vials containing blood, county prosecutors said.

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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.

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