sales tax

noun

: a tax levied on the sale of goods and services that is usually calculated as a percentage of the purchase price and collected by the seller

Examples of sales tax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On the sales tax front, Lake County residents average 7% on purchases. —Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026

Arnold Ventures was launched by John Arnold, a former Enron executive and hedge fund manager who previously spent in support of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s election and a 2024 Denver affordable housing sales tax proposal that was narrowly rejected by voters. —John Aguilar, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026

That would mean city and county budgets do not capture those extra property and sales tax dollars, which typically pay for police, fire and other essential public services. —Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026

There would also be a sales tax exemption on building materials for up to 15 years. —John O'Connor, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sales tax

• almanacs
• carrybacks
• haversacks
• lumberjacks
• maniacs
• microcracks
• minimax
• paperbacks
• parallax
• quarterbacks
• sticklebacks
• telefax

Kids Definition

sales tax

noun

: a tax paid on the purchase of goods and services and collected by the seller

Legal Definition

sales tax

noun

: a tax levied on the sale of goods and services that is usually calculated as a percentage of the purchase price and collected by the seller