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
The vessels will pay a fee based on their net tonnage, which measures the total space on a ship for carrying cargo.
—
New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
The new fee charges are based on the net tonnage of a vessel.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2025
Two of the sources said the administration is weighing a charge based on the tonnage of unloaded vessels rather than a flat rate.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
This year’s nominees haven’t generated as much tonnage at the box office but the field is full of colorful personalities and crossover talent like Wicked‘s Ariana Grande to potentially pull in more casual viewers.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tonnage
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New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
The new fee charges are based on the net tonnage of a vessel.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2025
Two of the sources said the administration is weighing a charge based on the tonnage of unloaded vessels rather than a flat rate.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
This year’s nominees haven’t generated as much tonnage at the box office but the field is full of colorful personalities and crossover talent like Wicked‘s Ariana Grande to potentially pull in more casual viewers.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 28 Feb. 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 3 May. 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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