tariff

plural tariffs

1. A system of government-imposed duties levied on imported or exported goods; a list of such duties, or the duties themselves.

   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

   4 more examples

   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

   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

2. A schedule of rates, fees or prices.

   Under a peak/off-peak electricity tariff, you pay a lower rate for the power when demand is less.

   1 more example

   There is a tariff in every carriage, and most of them also have taxometers.

   1906, Department of Commerce and Labor. Bureau of Manufactures, Monthly Consular and Trade Reports (number 313, page 75)

   Synonyms: plan

3. UKA sentence determined according to a scale of standard penalties for certain categories of crime.

present singular third person tariffs · participle present tariffing · participle past tariffed · past tariffed

1. transitiveTo levy a duty on (something).

   From the perspective of foreign producers, it is more difficult to export tariffed goods to the US because US importers have to pay the tariff.

   2024 December 5, Madison Minges, “Understanding Trump Tariffs 2.0”, in American University