tariff

1 of 2

noun

tar·​iff ˈter-əf How to pronounce tariff (audio)
ˈta-rəf
1
a
: 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

tariff

2 of 2

verb

tariffed; tariffing; tariffs

transitive verb

: to subject to a tariff

Examples of tariff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Biden later agreed with the European Union to allow imports of European steel up to a certain level before the tariffs would apply. Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Once there, the real estate tycoon broke with orthodox economic doctrine by using the guise of national security to slap tariffs on foreign steel and renegotiating NAFTA. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024 He's said tariffs as much as 60 percent on - on China. CBS News, 10 Mar. 2024 The Biden administration has kept most of the Trump administration tariffs in place, according to the Tax Foundation. Chris Mueller, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 Aside from water constraints, the almond industry has faced other challenges, including tariffs in China and other countries, as well as shipping bottlenecks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 But he’s said little about taxes, beyond pledges to raise tariffs for all imports and to cut the corporate tax rate. Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Earlier this year, Trump vowed to impose a tariff upward of 60% on all Chinese imports if he’s reelected. Matt Egan, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024 Instead, for example, Washington could hold off on tariffs for six months, giving Beijing a chance to act to avoid them. Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
Research from economists at the Federal Reserve and the University of Chicago found that tariffs Mr. Trump imposed on washing machines in 2018 created about 1,800 jobs while raising the median prices consumers paid for new washers and dryers by $86 and $92 per unit. Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2023 Will tariff reductions be on the docket? Ian Mount, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2021 But Trump’s main strategy for obtaining better trade deals has been to tariff other countries into submission. Tom Benning, Dallas News, 3 Apr. 2020 In public, Chinese officials call Mr Trump’s tariffs self-defeating and stress their country’s economic resilience. The Economist, 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, 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, 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, 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, 22 Aug. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tariff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian tariffa, from Arabic taʽrīf notification

First Known Use

Noun

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tariff was in 1592

Dictionary Entries Near tariff

Cite this Entry

“Tariff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tariff. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tariff

noun
tar·​iff
ˈtar-əf
1
a
: a list of taxes placed by a government on imported or in some countries exported goods
b
: a tax or rate of tax set up in a tariff list
2
: a list of rates or charges of a business or public service company

Legal Definition

tariff

noun
tar·​iff ˈtar-əf How to pronounce tariff (audio)
1
a
: 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
Etymology

Noun

Italian tariffa, from Arabic taʽrīf notification

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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