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 ship, which weighs over 250,800 gross tonnage, will contain 18 decks, 22 elevators, seven pools, five restaurants and a maximum capacity of 7,600, according to Planetcruise. —Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025

Neither the Corps nor McNeil could readily provide tonnage data for the harbor. —Arkansas Online, 22 Aug. 2025

While that sort of thing is par for the course—this time of year, every company that sells TV inventory at scale indulges in a bit of vague, unverifiable boasting about its upfront haul—the status of WBD’s futures market is of particular concern given the erasure of all that NBA commercial tonnage. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 Aug. 2025

The movie also attracted extra attention for its sheer tonnage of celebrity cameos and family-reunion vibes. —Sean Gentille, New York Times, 28 July 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