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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The gross tonnage of the new class of ships, though, at around 200,000 tons will be smaller than Royal's Oasis-class ships, which come in at more than 225,000 gross tons.
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So while the total tonnage of phosphorous entering the lake is much smaller, the problem of too much phosphorous persists.
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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