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

The shoes come in a ton of hues, including the above silver, plus a divine cherry red and ballet-slipper-pink mesh. —Annie Blackman, InStyle, 6 Jan. 2026

Storage is ample, and there are tons of different organizational components, including several interior pockets, a dedicated laptop space, and a nifty shoe compartment at the base. —Lauren Breedlove, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026

In a superseding indictment unsealed Saturday, federal prosecutors have accused Maduro, his wife, son and others of partnering with some of the most violent, prolific drug traffickers and narco terrorists in the world to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States for decades. —Matt Gutman, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026

According to organizers, between 1,400 and 1,700 tons of seafood are sold at the market each day. —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 5 Jan. 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