1
a
: the cubical content of a merchant ship in units of 100 cubic feet
b
: the displacement of a warship
2
a
: total weight in tons shipped, carried, or produced
b
: impressively large amount or weight
3
: a duty formerly levied on every tun of wine imported into England
4
a
: a duty or impost on vessels based on cargo capacity
b
: a duty on goods per ton transported
5
: ships in terms of the total number of tons registered or carried or of their carrying capacity
Examples of tonnage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As America’s Navy has steadily shrunk, China’s has grown to surpass it in size, though not yet in tonnage.
—
Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
This decline in coal tonnage has driven an overall decline in waterborne shipping through McAlpine from 2012-23.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 9 July 2025
Our navy totaled over 70% of the world’s total number and tonnage of naval vessels of 1,000 tons or greater.
—Carl Burdette, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2025
Tariff policy reversals including a 90-day pause on the previous 145-percent tariffs slapped on Chinese goods resulted in a recovery from Asia, as well as the softened import tax on formerly de minimis-eligible goods, prompted a brief spike in trans-Pacific tonnage via air.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tonnage
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Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
This decline in coal tonnage has driven an overall decline in waterborne shipping through McAlpine from 2012-23.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 9 July 2025
Our navy totaled over 70% of the world’s total number and tonnage of naval vessels of 1,000 tons or greater.
—Carl Burdette, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2025
Tariff policy reversals including a 90-day pause on the previous 145-percent tariffs slapped on Chinese goods resulted in a recovery from Asia, as well as the softened import tax on formerly de minimis-eligible goods, prompted a brief spike in trans-Pacific tonnage via air.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tonnage
Cite this Entry
“Tonnage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tonnage. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tonnage
noun
ton·nage
ˈtən-ij 
1
: a tax on ships based on tons carried
2
: ships in terms of the total number of tons that are or can be carried
3
: total weight in tons shipped, carried, or mined
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