Zollverein
Americannoun
-
(in the 19th century) a union of German states for the maintenance of a uniform tariff on imports from other countries, and of free trading among themselves.
-
any similar union or arrangement between a number of states; customs union.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Zollverein
1835–45; < German, equivalent to Zoll custom, duty, tariff + Verein union
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.
After the failure of the Frankfurt Assembly, momentum for German unification resumed with the mounting success of the Zollverein, a customs union formed by Prussia in 1834.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
In the German lands, it was not until the establishment of the Zollverein, a customs union, in 1834 that trade could flow freely enough to encourage industrial growth in earnest.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020
People 30 years ago would have scoffed at the thought of holidaying here, says Frank Switala, a local tour guide who works at Zollverein.
From Scientific American • Sep. 5, 2017
At Zollverein, the viewing platform offers a 360-degree view of the physical change the transformation has brought about.
From Scientific American • Sep. 5, 2017
He thinks of the old broken miners he’d see in Zollverein, sitting in chairs or on crates, not moving for hours, waiting to die.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
![]()
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.