tariff

noun

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tar·iff | \ ˈter-əf

, ˈta-rəf \

Definition of tariff

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a schedule of duties imposed by a government on imported or in some countries exported goods

b : a duty or rate of duty imposed in such a schedule

2 : a schedule of rates or charges of a business or a public utility

3 : price, charge

tariff

verb

tariffed; tariffing; tariffs

Definition of tariff (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to subject to a tariff

Examples of tariff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Tariff activity since 2018 on various fish ranges between 35% and 45% going into China, Kimball said, and a new 35% tariff has been imposed on Alaska salmon going to Europe stemming from a government dispute over airplane subsidies. — Anchorage Daily News, "Seafood industry execs optimistic for 2020 after troubled pandemic year," 8 Dec. 2020 First foreign policy, critics say, has come at the expense of other nations, especially Mexico, which has been under constant threat of tariff hikes by Trump. — Dallas News, "In Mexico, the Americans are making sure they vote, and many are unhappy with Trump’s policies," 31 Oct. 2020 That $36 billion could have covered a bit more than three weeks of interest on the national debt — that is, had Trump not unilaterally decided to send a chunk of the tariff revenue to farmers affected by his trade wars. — Allan Sloan, ProPublica, "Donald Trump Built a National Debt So Big (Even Before the Pandemic) That It’ll Weigh Down the Economy for Years," 19 Jan. 2021 Tariffs can have this effect in part because of optimal tariff theory, a concept developed by Nicholas Kaldor in 1940. — Nicholas Phillips, National Review, "End the Tariff Taboo," 25 Jan. 2021 That $36 billion could have covered a bit more than three weeks of interest on the national debt — that is, had Trump not unilaterally decided to send a chunk of the tariff revenue to farmers affected by his trade wars. — Allan Sloan, ProPublica, "Donald Trump Built a National Debt So Big (Even Before the Pandemic) That It’ll Weigh Down the Economy for Years," 19 Jan. 2021 The abrupt timing of this new tariff announcement struck many industry players as particularly unfair. — Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, "A new wine tariff could make French wines 25% more expensive in the Bay Area," 12 Jan. 2021 That $36 billion could have covered a bit more than three weeks of interest on the national debt — that is, had Trump not unilaterally decided to send a chunk of the tariff revenue to farmers affected by his trade wars. — Washington Post, "Trump’s most enduring legacy could be the historic rise in the national debt," 11 Jan. 2021 The Biden administration's stance on international trade will likely be a significant shift away from President Donald Trump's tariff-heavy approach. — Will Weissert, Star Tribune, "Biden picks Rhode Island Gov. Raimondo as commerce secretary," 7 Jan. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb But Trump’s main strategy for obtaining better trade deals has been to tariff other countries into submission. — Tom Benning, Dallas News, "Months before COVID-19, Texas company told Trump that medical goods tariffs made U.S. ‘less prepared’," 3 Apr. 2020 In public, Chinese officials call Mr Trump’s tariffs self-defeating and stress their country’s economic resilience. — The Economist, "400-pound rivals China views Donald Trump’s America with growing distrust and scorn," 2 Jan. 2020 If Trump continues to tariff Chinese goods, the real losers will be the American consumers, manufacturers and farmers who will bear the costs. — Leo Hindery Jr. For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Tariffs are hurting Americans. Here are other ways Trump can punish China," 11 Sep. 2019 Thus, American retailers and consumers will likely not get stuck with the extra cost for those goods tariffed in December. — James D. Schultz For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Trump's trade war with China will be worth the fight," 15 Aug. 2019 Chief Executive Officer Martin Wong said his company, a rival to Inventec, has also shifted some notebook lines to Taiwan and was considering investing more in Vietnam should tariff-conflicts persist. — Katherine Dunn, Fortune, "As Trade War Escalates, Tech Companies Flee Mainland China," 13 Aug. 2019 Fifty-three-foot shipping containers are essential for trucking and rail transportation, and big companies like J.B Hunt and CSX said that tariffing them would make all kinds of freight shipments more expensive. — Lydia Depillis, ProPublica, "Bibles but Not Textbooks: Trump’s Tariff Exemptions Pick Winners and Losers," 22 Aug. 2019 The Buffalo plant may be the latest indicator that tariffs on steel imports imposed by President Donald Trump are giving a lending hand to the U.S. steel industry. — Erin Douglas, Houston Chronicle, "Steel mill to open near Corpus Christi expected to create 600 jobs," 23 July 2019 Which means the primary beneficiary of the Trump administration’s proposal to tariff Chinese tennis balls will likely be … a Chinese company. — Catherine Rampell, The Denver Post, "Rampell: Trump’s proposed tennis ball tariff represents a grand slam of terrible trade policy," 30 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tariff.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

23 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Tariff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tariff. Accessed 1 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for tariff

tariff

noun

English Language Learners Definition of tariff

: a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country

chiefly British : a list of prices charged by a hotel or restaurant for meals, rooms, etc., or by a public company for gas, electricity, etc.

See the full definition for tariff in the English Language Learners Dictionary

tariff

noun

tar·iff | \ ˈter-əf

Kids Definition of tariff

1 : a list of taxes placed by a government on goods coming into a country

2 : the tax or the rate of taxation set up in a tariff list

tariff

noun

tar·iff | \ ˈtar-əf

Legal Definition of tariff

1a : a schedule of duties imposed by a government on imported or in some countries exported goods

b : a duty or rate of duty imposed in such a schedule

2 : a document filed with the appropriate government agency that sets forth the rates, charges, and other provisions pertaining to services furnished by a business (as a carrier) or public utility

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