tonnage

Or tun·nage

[tuhn-ij]

noun

1. the capacity of a merchant vessel, expressed either in units of weight, as deadweight tons, ton, or of volume, as gross tons. ton.

2. ships collectively considered with reference to their carrying capacity or together with their cargoes.

3. a duty on ships or boats at so much per ton of cargo or freight, or according to the capacity in tons. ton.

tonnage

/ ˈtʌnɪdʒ /

noun

1. the capacity of a merchant ship expressed in tons, for which purpose a ton is considered as 40 cubic feet of freight or 100 cubic feet of bulk cargo, unless such an amount would weigh more than 2000 pounds in which case the actual weight is used

2. the weight of the cargo of a merchant ship

3. the total amount of shipping of a port or nation, estimated by the capacity of its ships

4. a duty on ships based either on their capacity or their register tonnage

Word History and Origins

Origin of tonnage¹

1375–1425; late Middle English: duty < Old French. See ton ¹, -age

Word History and Origins

Origin of tonnage¹

C15: from Old French, from tonne barrel

Example Sentences

As the Fitz bent, it also broke records, setting marks for total annual tonnage as well as the biggest individual cargoes on the Great Lakes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

While China has the world's largest navy by number of vessels, the US fleet has a greater overall tonnage and is more powerful - with far more large aircraft carriers.

Read more on BBC

But her actions, however necessary, left behind a tonnage of human wreckage.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Between 1968 and 1975, a greater tonnage of bombs was dropped on this slender piece of land than in all theatres in World War Two.

Read more on BBC

But encountering “Dark” now, something else stands out: There is no way for a viewer to know for certain whether the word is really written on the underside, beneath all that obdurate tonnage.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amount 
• breadth 
• capacity 
• content 
• diameter 
• extent 
• height 
• intensity 
• length 
• magnitude 
• proportion 
• range 
• scope 
• stature 
• volume 
• width