tax

noun, often attributive

\ 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

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Synonyms for tax

Synonyms: Noun

assessment, duty, imposition, impost, levy

Synonyms: Verb

strain, stretch, test, try

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

At least that was until 2017, when Belmond bought a hotel in Anguilla, the Caribbean island—and arguably the world's most beautiful tax haven—whose capital bears the world's coolest name for a city: The Valley. — Elle Decor Editors, ELLE Decor, "7 Dreamy Memorial Day Getaway Hotels To Book Now," 13 May 2019 Payroll tax revenue rose 4.7% due in part to rising employment and wages. ... — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Tax Revenue Keeps Rising," 12 May 2019 When President Trump signed the Opportunity Zone program into law as part of the 2017 tax overhaul, the administration said the goal was to incentivize investment in economically distressed areas. — Konrad Putzier, WSJ, "Luxury Developers in Miami Eye Low-Income Tax Breaks," 30 Apr. 2019 Local governments should be improving transportation to get people easier access to the closest supermarkets, and changing the tough zoning codes and taxes that keep businesses away from the area. — Jessica Booth, Redbook, "Everything You Need To Know About Food Deserts," 29 Apr. 2019 If the royal baby is a U.S. citizen, there will be tax implications. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Baby Be an American Citizen?," 27 Apr. 2019 Since protests picked up steam in recent years, 10 states have amended their laws to drop the tax, but 35 have not. — Ciara Phelan, Allure, "What Is Femtech, and Is It the New Pink Tax?," 22 Apr. 2019 Aside from the financial toll—which even with financing options is still weighty—egg freezing levees a physical tax. — Hannah Selinger, Glamour, "I Spent $17K Freezing Eggs—And I Regret Every Penny," 22 Apr. 2019 British Columbia, the province in which Vancouver is located, also has its own vacancy tax. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "Vancouver College Students Are Renting Mansions on the Cheap as the City Fights for Affordable Housing," 18 Apr. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The range of products that could eventually be taxed by Trump is approaching the value of all U.S. imports from China last year — about $505 billion. — Fortune, "Auto Stocks Flop as Daimler Cuts Its Profit Expectations Because of the Brewing U.S.-China Trade War," 21 June 2018 For example, Roberts pointed to the 6.25 percent sales tax on regular deodorant in Texas, as opposed to deodorant with antiperspirant, which is not taxed, and the tax exemption for yarn earmarked specifically for sweaters in New Jersey. — Klint Finley, WIRED, "Why the Supreme Court Sales Tax Ruling May Benefit Amazon," 21 June 2018 As a result, thousands of additional properties are completely off the tax rolls, which shifts the burden to other homes and businesses that are still being taxed. — Hal Dardick, chicagotribune.com, "Average Chicago homeowner to pay $110 more in property taxes this year," 20 June 2018 The bill would exempt leaseholds for stadiums on land that are currently taxed as intangible real property. — Katherine Peralta And Ely Portillo, charlotteobserver, "Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Knights could get big tax breaks on land around stadiums," 13 June 2018 The plaintiffs paid the duty under protest and sued Hedden, arguing that tomatoes are botanically a fruit and therefore should not be taxed as a vegetable. — Willi Evans Galloway, Good Housekeeping, "Are Tomatoes Fruits or Vegetables? Actually, They're Both," 12 June 2018 President Trump also has warned about imposing 25% tariffs on $325 billion in Chinese goods that aren’t currently taxed. — WSJ, "How Higher Tariffs Affect Different Industries," 11 May 2019 Dorsey tweeted that Square would likely be taxed at disproportionately higher rate of total revenue than software companies like Salesforce. — Shirin Ghaffary, Recode, "San Francisco has passed a first-of-its-kind tax on big businesses — like Square and Stripe — to help the homeless," 7 Nov. 2018 Illinois does tax candy, but at different rates; candy containing flour, like Kit Kat bars, is taxed at a lower rate than flour-free items like Hershey’s chocolate bars. — Hiawatha Bray, BostonGlobe.com, "Online tax bills are hugely complicated — more than you ever knew — and small firms are finding that out," 25 June 2018

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

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More Definitions for tax

tax

noun

Financial Definition of tax

What It Is

Taxes are required payments from citizens to governments. The payments fund projects and expenditures that serve the public interest.

How It Works

Most taxes are legislated, meaning that representatives elected by the citizens of a country or region determine what activities to tax, how much to tax, when to collect those taxes, and how to administer the proceeds. Individuals, businesses, and other entities subject to the tax must remit the tax or face enforcement action.

Why It Matters

Taxes are a topic of fierce debate in economics, politics, public policy and investing. For example, one of the most controversial taxes in the United States is the federal income tax. In the U.S., we have a progressive tax, meaning that a person's tax rate rises as income rises.

Economically speaking, one of the biggest effects of taxation is the impact it has on consumption. Generally, consumers will consume less when taxes rise and consume more when taxes fall.

In the investing world, taxes are also a major consideration. Some transactions trigger tax liabilities while others do not. The timing of buying and selling certain investments may trigger different tax liabilities. Ultimately, taxes reduce returns, and wise investors will consider their effects in all of their financial decisions.

Source: Investing Answers

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