Tariff Meaning
/ˈtæɹɪf/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA system of government-imposed duties levied on imported or exported goods; a list of such duties, or the duties themselves.
nounA schedule of rates, fees or prices.
Sentence Examples
We hope to lower the tariff.
What's the daily tariff.
A tariff is a regressive tax on consumers.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The government placed a high ____ on imported electronics to protect local businesses.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The government decided to impose a new ____ on imported electronics to protect the local manufacturing businesses today.
Word Origin & History
From Italian tariffa (“arithmetical table; list of customs duties”), from Arabic تَعْرِيف (taʕrīf, “notification, explanation”). Equivalent to Portuguese and Spanish tarifa and the French tarif and first attested in 1592.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"This question may be placed in another light. It is agreed on all sides, that numbers are the best scale of wealth and taxation, as they are the only proper scale of representation. Would the convention have been impartial or consistent, if they had rejected the slaves from the list of inhabitants, when the shares of representation were to be calculated, and inserted them on the lists when the tariff of contributions was to be adjusted?"
— 1788 February 12, James Madison, “Federalist No. 54”, in New York Packet:
"For the sake of this support, the party advocated for agricultural tariffs, for antimargarine laws, and for restrictions on meat importation."
— 2004, Michael B Gross, The war against Catholicism:
"Possibly Wallonians bought goods in Flanders that they could have obtained cheaper in Holland if it were not for the tariff."
— 2012, Bert van Selm, The Economics of Soviet Breakup:
"It’s been nearly four years since China put tariffs on American-grown soybeans during a tit-for-tat trade war with then-President Donald Trump – and they remain in place despite the change in administrations."
— 2022 May 8, Katie Lobosco, “Trump’s trade war looms over soybean farmers 4 years later”, in CNN:
"Speaking to press in the Oval Office on Friday after signing executive orders, Trump said the tariff would apply to any phone maker selling devices in the US."
— 2025 May 23, David Goldman and Clare Duffy, “Trump threatens 25% tariff on Apple and says Samsung and other tech companies could be next”, in CNN:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The government placed a high ____ on imported electronics to protect local businesses.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The government decided to impose a new ____ on imported electronics to protect the local manufacturing businesses today.