Definition of tonnage
1a : the cubical content of a merchant ship in units of 100 cubic feetb : the displacement of a warship
2a : total weight in tons shipped, carried, or producedb : impressively large amount or weight
3 : a duty formerly levied on every tun of wine imported into England
4a : a duty or impost on vessels based on cargo capacityb : 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
From the M-W Editors
Recent Examples of tonnage from the Web
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OOCL’s value to COSCO lies in its management talent as well as its tonnage: it is run more efficiently than many rivals.
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That includes not only ratings that eclipse everything else on pay TV but the sheer tonnage of attention that the program generates, turning media outlets into foot soldiers in HBO's marketing campaign.
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In the first year, ships transiting the expansion have carried nearly 25 million more tons of cargo than anticipated, and from the beginning of the fiscal year last Oct. 1 through May, tonnage is up 22.2 percent, Quijano said.
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Coal’s fortunes had appeared to hit a new low less than two weeks ago, when British energy company BP reported that tonnage mined worldwide fell 6.5 percent in 2016, the largest drop on record.
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Coal's fortunes had appeared to hit a new low less than two weeks ago, when British energy company BP reported that tonnage mined worldwide fell 6.5 percent in 2016, the largest drop on record.
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And even today, after railroads and later highways offered cheaper alternatives (freight tonnage peaked in 1872), the canal corridor has become a recreational mecca.
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Coal's fortunes had appeared to hit a new low less than two weeks ago, when British energy company BP reported that tonnage mined worldwide fell 6.5% in 2016, the largest drop on record.
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The company’s big problem is capacity to haul the tonnage that prospective Saudi customers want to ship.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tonnage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of tonnage
in sense 3, from Middle English, from Anglo-French, from tonne tun; in other senses, from 1ton — more at tunnel
TONNAGE Defined for English Language Learners
tonnage
playDefinition of tonnage for English Language Learners
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: the size of a ship or the total weight that it carries in tons
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: the total weight or amount of something in tons
TONNAGE Defined for Kids
tonnage
playDefinition of tonnage for Students
1 : ships in terms of the total number of tons that are or can be carried
2 : total weight in tons shipped, carried, or mined
Learn More about tonnage
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See words that rhyme with tonnage Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tonnage
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