tax

noun, often attributive

Save Word

\ ˈtaks

Definition of tax

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : a charge usually of money imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes

b : a sum levied on members of an organization to defray expenses

2 : a heavy demand

tax

verb

taxed; taxing; taxes

Definition of tax (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to levy a tax on

2 : to make onerous and rigorous demands on the job taxed her strength

3 : charge, accuse taxed him with neglect of duty also : censure

4 : to assess or determine judicially the amount of (costs in a court action)

5 obsolete : to enter (a name) in a list there went out a decree … that all the world should be taxed — Luke 2:1 (King James Version)

tax-

combining form

variants: or taxo- or less commonly taxi-

Definition of tax- (Entry 3 of 3)

: arrangement taxeme taxidermy

Other Words from tax Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about tax

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for tax

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Verb

Examples of tax in a Sentence

Noun The decision was made to raise taxes. He was accused of evading taxes. What was your income before taxes? What is the amount of tax to be paid? What was your income before tax? Verb He believes in taxing the rich to give to the poor. You are taxed according to your income. puzzles that tax your brain

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun There is also the cost factor, a 2-3% tax is being levied on every transaction conducted with credit and debit cards. — Vipin Bharathan, Forbes, "Analysis Of A Fed Note: On Preconditions For A General-Purpose Central Bank Digital Currency," 1 Mar. 2021 The White House didn't endorse the tax proposals, which would have affected only a fraction of workers paid the minimum wage. — Alan Fram, ajc, "Minimum wage hike all but dead in big COVID relief bill," 1 Mar. 2021 Hopefully, some small businesses will see a reduction in the Maryland corporate tax rate. — Pat Stoetzer, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Q&A: Karen Barbour, longtime small-business owner in Westminster, named to national advisory board," 1 Mar. 2021 The proposal could mean $50 million less in annual tax collections, according to a state analysis, which opponents — including Republicans — argued would siphon public money into private entities. — John Haughey, Washington Examiner, "House narrowly passes Missouri’s first tax credit school voucher program," 1 Mar. 2021 Evanston proposed a novel idea to fund reparations -- a 3% tax on newly legal recreational marijuana sales. — Ashley Brown, ABC News, "How the 1st US city to fund reparations for Black residents is making amends," 1 Mar. 2021 Meanwhile, the deal between the estate and the IRS maps out how posthumous Aretha Franklin revenue will be allocated until the tax debt is settled. — Brian Mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "Aretha Franklin estate reaches deal with IRS to pay off claimed $7.8 million tax debt," 1 Mar. 2021 Garland would confront immediate challenges if confirmed, including an ongoing criminal tax investigation into Biden’s son, Hunter, as well as calls from many Democrats to pursue inquiries into Trump. — Michael Balsamo, chicagotribune.com, "Senate panel advances nomination of Merrick Garland for attorney general," 1 Mar. 2021 Transient rental taxes, such as the hotel tax does not apply to the rental arrangement with the landlord, Orange stated on its website. — Joe Mario Pedersen, orlandosentinel.com, "Orange County to relaunch rental assistance program on Monday morning," 1 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb After the companies pay out bettors' winnings, the state would tax the remaining proceeds at 20%. — Jeff Amy, ajc, "Bills pile up for Georgia lawmakers as key deadline looms," 28 Feb. 2021 The bills include plans to tax capital gains more aggressively (treating investment income as wage income), to lower the floor at which inheritance is taxed (to $250,000) and to restore taxes on corporate profit. — Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, "Is New York Finally Ready to Tax the Rich?," 26 Feb. 2021 Eric Luedtke, a Democratic Maryland state delegate, wants to tax big tech companies to help fund the state's K-12 education. — NBC News, "Maryland wants to tax Big Tech. Could other states follow?," 23 Feb. 2021 Unemployment benefits are subject to federal taxes, and most states tax them, too. — Whizy Kim, refinery29.com, "Everything You Need To Know About Filing Taxes During The Pandemic," 23 Feb. 2021 In the intervening years, there is no evidence of meaningful efforts in Houston, Harris County or the Texas Legislature to tax Texans for flood control in the bayous. — Tom Horner, Star Tribune, "Texas needs to learn to help itself," 18 Feb. 2021 For those who want to tax or limit generational wealth, stifling family foundations is a worthy project. — Elise Westhoff, WSJ, "The Left Wants a Philanthropy of the Few," 14 Dec. 2020 In recent years, Latin American countries have been in the vanguard of efforts to tax or regulate sugary beverages and junk foods. — Laura Reiley, Washington Post, "Mexico moves to ban junk food sales to children, citing obesity as coronavirus risk factor," 19 Aug. 2020 In what’s viewed as a largely symbolic move, the U.S. House voted to decriminalize cannabis and tax it at the federal level. — Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, "The Spin: Ex-Chicago Ald. Ed Vrdolyak sentenced to 18 months in federal prison | U.S. House votes to decriminalize weed | Illinois planning to distribute vaccine to 50 counties with highest death rates," 4 Dec. 2020

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

History and Etymology for tax

Verb

Middle English, to estimate, assess, tax, from Anglo-French taxer, from Medieval Latin taxare, from Latin, to feel, estimate, censure, frequentative of tangere to touch — more at tangent entry 2

Combining form

Greek taxi-, from taxis

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about tax

Dictionary Entries near tax

Statistics for tax

Last Updated

3 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Tax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tax. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for tax

tax

noun

English Language Learners Definition of tax

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an amount of money that a government requires people to pay according to their income, the value of their property, etc., and that is used to pay for the things done by the government

tax

verb

English Language Learners Definition of tax (Entry 2 of 2)

: to require (someone) to pay a tax

: to require someone to pay a tax on (something)

: to require a lot from (something or someone) : to put demands on (something or someone)

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

tax

noun

\ ˈtaks