tonnage

noun

ton·​nage ˈtə-nij 

1

a

: the cubical content of a merchant ship in units of 100 cubic feet

b

: the displacement of a warship

2

a

: total weight in tons shipped, carried, or produced

b

: impressively large amount or weight

3

: a duty formerly levied on every tun of wine imported into England

4

a

: a duty or impost on vessels based on cargo capacity

b

: a duty on goods per ton transported

5

: ships in terms of the total number of tons registered or carried or of their carrying capacity

Examples of tonnage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The vessels will pay a fee based on their net tonnage, which measures the total space on a ship for carrying cargo. —New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025

The new fee charges are based on the net tonnage of a vessel. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2025

Two of the sources said the administration is weighing a charge based on the tonnage of unloaded vessels rather than a flat rate. —Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025

This year’s nominees haven’t generated as much tonnage at the box office but the field is full of colorful personalities and crossover talent like Wicked‘s Ariana Grande to potentially pull in more casual viewers. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

in sense 3, from Middle English, from Anglo-French, from tonne tun; in other senses, from ton entry 1 — more at tunnel

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for tonnage

• dunnage

Kids Definition

tonnage

noun

ton·​nage ˈtən-ij 

1

: a tax on ships based on tons carried

2

: ships in terms of the total number of tons that are or can be carried

3

: total weight in tons shipped, carried, or mined