\ ˈle-vē 
\
\ plural levies
Definition of levy
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : the imposition or collection of an assessment The government imposed a levy on gasoline.
b : an amount levied
2a : the enlistment or conscription of men for military service
b : troops raised by levy
turned green levies into fighting soldiers
levy
verblevied; levying
Definition of levy (Entry 2 of 2)
1a : to impose or collect by legal authority
levy a tax
b : to require by authority
2 : to enlist or conscript for military service
3 : to carry on (war) : wage
: to seize property
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Examples of levy in a Sentence
Noun
the legislators approved a new levy on imported cattle to help protect American ranchers Verb
They levied a tax on imports.
The government will levy a fine on the company.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The idea is to use the allure of cash prizes to ensure transactions are recorded and a levy is paid on them in a bid to reduce the tax dodging that has weighed on Italy’s economy for decades.
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Giovanni Legorano, WSJ, "Italy Bets on a Lottery to Tame Tax Evasion," 24 Dec. 2020 The group — including Anchorage Assembly members Jamie Allard and Crystal Kennedy and Alaska Black Caucus President Celeste Hodge Growden — is seeking an alternative to asking voters to approve a special tax levy to pay for the equipment.
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Aubrey Wieber, Anchorage Daily News, "Eagle River assembly members join with Black caucus to seek alternate funding for Anchorage police body cams," 11 Dec. 2020 Legislation put forward in California for a new tax on net worth failed to pass this year, but voters in San Francisco have brought in a local levy targeting Silicon Valley CEOs.
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Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, "New York Plays Politics with Pension-Fund Money," 9 Dec. 2020 If higher fuel taxes are needed to maintain the transportation program, a more stable wholesale levy is the place to start.
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Keith M. Phaneuf, courant.com, "Will Connecticut legislators raise the gas tax? With tax rates now below the national average, it’s possible.," 3 Dec. 2020 The measures approved included a levy that could help Cleveland schools dodge big cuts.
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From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, "Misinformation, gig economy, ‘Fair Tax’ defeat: News from around our 50 states," 5 Nov. 2020 For every transaction using the debit card, Coinbase will charge a 2.49% levy.
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Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, "Coinbase launches crypto debit card in U.S. with 1% Bitcoin reward," 28 Oct. 2020 China’s government recently began imposing a levy on its citizens’ offshore income, a decision that could leave mainland bankers in Hong Kong paying triple the local rate as well as footing the bill for the city’s sky-high living costs.
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Cathy Chan, Bloomberg.com, "Hong Kong Bankers Are Losing Their Jobs to China Rivals," 11 Oct. 2020 On The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast this week, former Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken credited The Enquirer with exposing the problems with the levy proposal.
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Sharon Coolidge, The Enquirer, "Surprise county park board meeting Wednesday. Will the 2020 levy move forward after all?," 4 Aug. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Others already levy through various redevelopment authorities.
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Shannon Prather, Star Tribune, "Ramsey County to invest $9 million in affordable housing in 2021," 27 Dec. 2020 Each fund is a mini-portfolio of underlying mutual funds and ETFs, and each can levy two levels of fees.
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Chana R. Schoenberger, WSJ, "The High Cost of Target-Date Funds," 4 Dec. 2020 The court allowed the state to continue collecting local net profits taxes – income taxes communities levy on businesses – but prohibited the state from keeping a portion of those taxes to administer the program.
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Robert Higgs, cleveland, "Ohio Supreme Court ruling on tax collections could save communities money, but probably not that much," 6 Nov. 2020 Those sanctions could dovetail with Justice Department efforts to levy criminal charges against the cyberattackers, a tactic that special counsel Robert Mueller adopted during his investigation of the 2016 election interference.
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Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, "US and allies to fall back on sanctions and prosecutions to punish Russia for cyberattack," 22 Dec. 2020 Galvin is asking a state court to levy an undisclosed amount of fines on Robinhood.
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Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, "Robinhood Financial fined $65 million by SEC for misleading users," 17 Dec. 2020 And Congress clearly has authority under the Constitution to levy taxes, so that was okay.
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The Atlantic, "Listen: Is COVID-19 a Preexisting Condition?," 16 Oct. 2020 Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski has filed a second elections complaint against the dark-money group opposing Issue 68, the Cleveland schools levy.
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Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, "What to know for Election Day in Ohio: The Wake Up for Monday, Nov. 2, 2020," 2 Nov. 2020 The board is only allowed to levy tax rates that would bring in a maximum of 10% more than it is expected to need in the coming year.
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Jeff Adelson, NOLA.com, "Tiny dip in New Orleans property tax rate set for next year after debt payments decrease," 29 Nov. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'levy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for levy
levy
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of levy
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an amount of money that must be paid and that is collected by a government or other authority
levy
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of levy (Entry 2 of 2)
: to use legal authority to demand and collect (a fine, a tax, etc.)
See the full definition for levy in the English Language Learners Dictionary
levy
noun\ ˈle-vē \
\ plural levies
Kids Definition of levy
(Entry 1 of 2)
: something (as taxes) collected by authority of the law
levy
verblevied; levying
Kids Definition of levy (Entry 2 of 2)
: to collect legally
levy taxes
levy
noun\ ˈle-vē \
\ plural levies
Legal Definition of levy
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : an act of levying: as
a : the imposition or collection of a tax
b : the seizure according to a writ of execution of real or personal property in a judgment debtor's possession to satisfy a judgment debt
2 : an amount levied : tax providing for a levy of 3% on income up to $10,000— D. Q. Posin
levy
verblevied; levying
Legal Definition of levy (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to impose or collect (as a tax or fine) with authority
allow it to levy stiffer penalties for some safety violations — National Law Journal
: to enforce a writ of execution or attachment specifically : to make a seizure of real or personal property in a judgment debtor's possession they might as a last resort levy on his merchandise — J. J. White and R. S. Summers
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Time Traveler for levy
The first known use of levy was in the 13th century
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