Tax

/tæks/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Common ·High school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Money or goods collected by a government (or an entity to whom the government has delegated this power, e.g. in tax farming) to fund itself and its services, for example by levying a charge on income, purchases (sales), property or harvest, other than that money which is collected by the government in exchange for specific goods (e.g. the purchase of surplus vehicles).
  • Grammar: tax is listed as noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: accuse, address, allege, arraign.
  • Useful contrasts: ease, exempt, fulfill.
  • Usage evidence: The income tax rate increases in proportion as your salary rises.

How to use "tax"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tax" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tax" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tax" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tax" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "tax" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "accuse" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "tax", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Money or goods collected by a government (or an entity to whom the government has delegated this power, e.g. in tax farming) to fund itself and its services, for example by levying a charge on income, purchases (sales), property or harvest, other than that money which is collected by the government in exchange for specific goods (e.g. the purchase of surplus vehicles). countable, uncountable

    "[They paid a] "mushroom tax" in addition to their regular tax of butter and meat. They had to give 1 dre of dried mushrooms annually to the district administrative centres."

  2. 2
    charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government wordnet
  3. 3
    A charge (of money, food, labor, etc) collected by a person, organization, etc; something required (exacted) from someone who is (really or notionally) under the control of the taxer, such as a contribution or service. countable, uncountable

    "Flie far from hence All private taxes, immodest phrases, What e'r may but shew like vicious."

  4. 4
    A burdensome demand; figuratively, uncountable

    "a heavy tax on time or health"

Verb
  1. 1
    To impose and collect a tax from (a person or company). transitive

    "Some think to tax the wealthy is the fairest."

  2. 2
    make a charge against or accuse wordnet
  3. 3
    To impose and collect a tax on (something). transitive

    "Some think to tax wealth is destructive of a private sector."

  4. 4
    use to the limit wordnet
  5. 5
    To make excessive demands on. transitive

    "Do not tax my patience."

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    levy a tax on wordnet
  2. 7
    To accuse. transitive
  3. 8
    set or determine the amount of (a payment such as a fine) wordnet
  4. 9
    To examine accounts in order to allow or disallow items. transitive

Example

"The income tax rate increases in proportion as your salary rises."

Common questions

What does "tax" mean?

Money or goods collected by a government (or an entity to whom the government has delegated this power, e.g. in tax farming) to fund itself and its services, for example by levying a charge on income, purchases (sales), property or harvest, other than that money which is collected by the government in exchange for specific goods (e.g. the purchase of surplus vehicles).

What is a synonym for "tax"?

Common synonyms include: accuse, address, allege, arraign, article, ask.

How do you use "tax" in a sentence?

The income tax rate increases in proportion as your salary rises.

How do you pronounce "tax"?

Pronounced /tæks/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

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”.

Etymology 2

From Middle English taxen, from Anglo-Norman taxer (“to impose a tax”), from Latin taxāre (“to handle, to censure, to appraise, to compute”).

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