tax
n. · v.-
1 government levy (n.) B1 Intermediatemoney that you must pay to the government based on your income, property, or the things you buy.
a compulsory contribution to state revenue, levied by the government on workers' income and business profits, or added to the cost of some goods, services, and transactions.
ExampleThe government decided to increase the tax on cigarettes to discourage smoking.
ExampleEconomists argue that a progressive income tax system is essential for reducing wealth inequality within the national borders.
UsageOften used as an uncountable noun when referring to the system, but countable when referring to a specific type of charge.
-
2 a burden (n.) C1 Advanced Literarysomething that is very difficult and takes a lot of your energy or time.
a burdensome or excessive demand on one's resources, strength, or patience.
ExampleThe long commute was a heavy tax on his health and happiness.
ExampleThe constant need for secrecy placed a significant tax on the diplomat's mental well-being over the course of the negotiations.
Show 2 more sensesShow fewer
-
3 to collect money (v.) B1 Intermediateto require a person or business to pay a certain amount of money to the government.
to impose a financial charge on a person, entity, or transaction for the purpose of generating public revenue.
ExampleThe city taxes local businesses to pay for the new park and library.
ExampleThe state legislature debated whether to tax digital services at the same rate as physical goods sold in retail stores.
UsageThe verb is transitive and requires a direct object, such as the person or the item being taxed.
-
4 to strain (v.) B2 Upper Intermediateto use a lot of someone's physical or mental strength.
to make heavy demands on a person's abilities, endurance, or resources.
ExampleThe difficult math exam really taxed my brain.
ExampleClimbing the steep mountain trail in the midday heat taxed the hikers' endurance to the limit.
From Middle English taxe, from Middle French taxe, from Medieval Latin taxa, from Latin taxō (“to appraise, value, estimate; (medieval) to tax”). Doublet of task. Displaced native Old English gafol, which was also the word for “tribute” and “rent”.
From Middle English taxen, from Anglo-Norman taxer (“to impose a tax”), from Latin taxāre (“to handle, to censure, to appraise, to compute”).
- 01
cheese tax
A portion of cheese given to a domestic animal such as a dog or cat, usually when the cheese is being brought out or prepared for human consumption.
- 02
sin tax
A government-imposed tax on a specific good, service, or activity which is legal but widely considered to be unwholesome or socially harmful, such as a tax on alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, or gambling.