tax

¹

[taks]

noun

1. a sum of money demanded by a government for its support or for specific facilities or services, levied upon incomes, property, sales, etc.

   Synonyms: levy, impost, duty

2. a burdensome charge, obligation, duty, or demand.

verb (used with object)

1. (of a government)

   1. to demand a tax from (a person, business, etc.).

   2. to demand a tax in consideration of the possession or occurrence of (income, goods, sales, etc.), usually in proportion to the value of money involved.

2. to lay a burden on; make serious demands on.

   to tax one's resources.

   Synonyms: stretch, tire, strain

3. to take to task; censure; reprove; accuse.

   to tax one with laziness.

4. Informal.,  to charge.

   What did he tax you for that?

5. Archaic.,  to estimate or determine the amount or value of.

verb (used without object)

1. to levy taxes.

tax-

²

1. variant of taxo- before a vowel.

   taxeme.

tax

/ tæks /

noun

1. a compulsory financial contribution imposed by a government to raise revenue, levied on the income or property of persons or organizations, on the production costs or sales prices of goods and services, etc

2. a heavy demand on something; strain

   a tax on our resources

verb

1. to levy a tax on (persons, companies, etc, or their incomes, etc)

2. to make heavy demands on; strain

   to tax one's intellect

3. to accuse, charge, or blame

   he was taxed with the crime

4. to determine (the amount legally chargeable or allowable to a party to a legal action), as by examining the solicitor's bill of costs

   to tax costs

5. slang,  to steal

Other Word Forms

• taxer noun
• taxingly adverb
• taxless adjective
• taxlessly adverb
• taxlessness noun
• antitax adjective
• nontax noun
• nontaxer noun
• protax adjective
• retax verb (used with object)
• self-taxed adjective
• subtaxer noun
• undertaxed adjective
• untax verb (used with object)
• well-taxed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tax¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English taxen, from Medieval Latin taxāre, from Latin: “to appraise, charge, estimate,” literally, “to touch repeatedly,” from tangere “to touch”; noun derivative of the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of tax¹

C13: from Old French taxer, from Latin taxāre to appraise, from tangere to touch

Idioms and Phrases

• death and taxes

Example Sentences

It put an estimated cost of £18bn a year on its various proposed tax cuts on businesses.

From BBC

We’d love to have a country that supports free speech, offers universal health care and free education through college, taxes the rich appropriately and truly supports families and workers.

From Salon

In his report, he said she did seek legal advice when buying the property, but failed to seek further expert tax advice as recommended.

From BBC

Angela Rayner has resigned as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and the deputy leader of the Labour Party, after admitting she underpaid tax after buying a flat in Hove.

From BBC

She resigned as deputy prime minister and housing secretary after admitting she did not pay enough tax on the purchase of a new home.

From BBC

Related Words

• contribution 
• cost 
• duty 
• expense 
• fine 
• levy 
• price 
• rate 
• tariff