tariff

1 of 2

noun

tar·​iff ˈter-əf 

ˈta-rəf

1

a

: a schedule of duties imposed by a government on imported or in some countries exported goods

b

: a duty or rate of duty imposed in such a schedule

2

: a schedule of rates or charges of a business or a public utility

3

: price, charge

tariff

2 of 2

verb

tariffed; tariffing; tariffs

transitive verb

: to subject to a tariff

Examples of tariff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The meeting between South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and President Donald Trump on Aug. 25 comes after a July trade deal in which Trump cut reciprocal tariffs on the country to 15% from the initial 25%. —Alexx Altman-Devilbiss, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2025

Topline Consumer prices rose slower than expected last month as President Donald Trump’s tariffs gripped markets, according to federal data released Tuesday, as hope remains for a possible interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. —Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Verb

Tesla, the electric carmaker led by Elon Musk, suffered a sharp drop in profits over a recent three-month period as car sales slowed and tariffs hiked costs, the company said this week. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 25 July 2025

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been pressing top diplomats gathered at a conference in the city, Kuala Lumpur, to align with Washington’s efforts to restrict trade with China and to agree to tariff terms favorable to the United States. —David Pierson, New York Times, 11 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian tariffa, from Arabic taʽrīf notification

First Known Use

Noun

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tariff

• protective tariff
• revenue tariff

Rhymes for tariff

• sherif
• sheriff
• nontariff

Kids Definition

tariff

noun

tar·​iff

ˈtar-əf

1

a

: a list of taxes placed by a government on imported or in some countries exported goods

b

: a tax or rate of tax set up in a tariff list

2

: a list of rates or charges of a business or public service company

Legal Definition

tariff

noun

tar·​iff ˈtar-əf 

1

a

: a schedule of duties imposed by a government on imported or in some countries exported goods

b

: a duty or rate of duty imposed in such a schedule

2

: a document filed with the appropriate government agency that sets forth the rates, charges, and other provisions pertaining to services furnished by a business (as a carrier) or public utility

Etymology

Noun

Italian tariffa, from Arabic taʽrīf notification