ton
n.-
1 unit of weight (n.) B1 Intermediatea unit of weight equal to 1,000 kilograms or 2,000 pounds.
a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms (metric ton) or 2,000/2,240 pounds (short/long ton).
ExampleThe truck was carrying several tons of steel to the construction site.
ExampleThe shipping container was rated to carry up to twenty tons of cargo, though the port authorities rarely allowed it to be filled to capacity.
-
2 a large amount (n.) B1 Intermediate Informala lot of something; a very large amount.
a figurative, hyperbolic expression for a large or overwhelming quantity.
ExampleI have a ton of homework to finish before I can go out tonight.
ExampleDespite having a ton of experience in the field, the consultant found the new software architecture surprisingly difficult to navigate.
Show 2 more sensesShow fewer
-
3 one hundred (n.) C1 Advanced British English Informalthe number one hundred, especially a score in a game or a speed.
a colloquial term for the number one hundred, frequently used in the context of cricket scores or vehicle speeds.
ExampleThe batsman was delighted to reach his ton before the end of the match.
ExampleHe was caught doing a ton on the motorway and faced an immediate suspension of his driving licence.
UsageOften used with the definite article as 'the ton' when referring to speed.
-
4 fashionable society (n.) C2 Proficiency Literary Archaicthe people who are considered fashionable or high-class.
the prevailing fashion or style; specifically, the elite or fashionable society of a particular period.
ExampleThe young duchess was considered the leader of the ton that season.
ExampleIn Regency novels, characters are often preoccupied with their standing among the ton and the strict social codes of the era.
Teacher's tipThis sense is almost exclusively found in historical fiction or period dramas set in the 18th or 19th century.
Variant of tun (“cask”), influenced by Old French tonne (“ton”).
Borrowed from French ton (“manner”), from Latin tonus. Doublet of tone, tune, and tonus.