ton

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈtən 

plural tons also ton

1

: any of various units of weight:

a

: short ton see Weights and Measures Table

b

: metric ton

2

: a great quantity : lot

ate tons of cookies

has tons of money

a ton of work to do

3

a

: a unit of internal capacity for ships equal to 100 cubic feet

called also register ton

b

: a unit approximately equal to the volume of a long ton weight of seawater used in reckoning the displacement of ships and equal to 35 cubic feet

c

: a unit of volume for cargo freight usually reckoned at 40 cubic feet

called also measurement ton

ton

2 of 2

noun (2)

ˈtōⁿ 

1

: the prevailing fashion : vogue

2

: the quality or state of being smart or fashionable

Synonyms of ton

Noun (1)

• loads
• plenty
• dozen
• lot
• slew
• bunch
• chunk
• pile
• deal
• quantity

Noun (2)

• latest
• trend
• craze
• enthusiasm
• rage
• vogue
• style
• buzz

Examples of ton in a Sentence

Noun (1)

I received a ton of advice on the problem—all of it unsolicited

Noun (2)

granite countertops became all the ton in kitchen decor

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s also the Sugar Shack, a kid’s version of the Alpine Cabin with a working wood stove, loft and tons of candy and sweets (and champagne for mom and dad). —Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026

Smith says the store does a ton of business in trade-ins, which will likely only increase as clients aim to purchase their first Speedy. —Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2026

For me, a typical weekend in the mountains means a ton of time in my snowboarding boots, both riding and uphilling on my splitboard. —Lisa Jhung, Outside, 11 Mar. 2026

The company, whose growth has doubled annually over the past five years, expanded a plant as large as the size of 500 soccer fields to produce 30,000 tons of copper-cobalt mixed ore daily. —Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English tunne unit of weight or capacity — more at tun

Noun (2)

borrowed from French, "pitch, tone, manner, style," going back to Old French, "sound of voices, voice quality," going back to Latin tonus "strain, tension, musical pitch, note" — more at tone entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Noun (2)

1756, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ton

• bon ton
• came down on us like a ton of bricks
• deadweight ton
• gross ton
• hit him like a ton of bricks
• like a ton of bricks
• long ton
• measurement ton
• metric ton
• register ton
• short ton
• weigh a ton

Rhymes for ton

• bun
• done
• dun
• fun
• gun
• hun
• jun
• none
• nun
• one
• pun
• run

Kids Definition

ton

noun

ˈtən

plural tons also ton

1

a

short ton

b

: long ton

2

: metric ton

3