tonnage

T1O1N1N1A1G2E1
/ˈtʌnɪd͡ʒ/

noun

The number of tons of water that a floating ship displaces.

Similar
tunnagetonnage duty
Less commonScrabble 8

Meanings

nountonnage (countable and uncountable, plural tonnages)

plural tonnages

  1. countableuncountableThe number of tons of water that a floating ship displaces.

    With her luxurious furnishings and spacious accommodation the Invicta, which is 350-ft. long and has a gross tonnage of 4,178, resembles a small liner.

    1947 January and February, “Notes and News: New Southern Channel Steamer”, in Railway Magazine, page 49
  2. countableuncountableThe capacity of a ship's hold etc in units of 100 cubic feet.
  3. countableuncountableThe number of tons of bombs dropped in a particular region over a particular period of time.

    Synonyms: tunnage

  4. countableuncountableA charge made on each ton of cargo when landed etc.
  5. countableuncountableThe total shipping of a fleet or nation.
  6. countableuncountableA weight in tons, especially of cargo or freight.

    DB Cargo is understood to be looking at the feasibility of re-gearing some of its Class 66s to allow them to haul the same tonnages as the Class 60s it has taken out of its fleet in the latter part of 2023.

    2023 December 13, “Network News: GB Railfreight heads for biggest fleet”, in RAIL, number 998, page 18

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe number of tons of bombs dropped in a particular region over a particular period of time.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nouna tax imposed on ships that enter the US; based on the tonnage of the ship

Similar
tunnagetonnage duty
Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchtonnage
  2. Englishtonnage

From Old French tonnage. Equivalent to tonne + -age.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian тона́ж
  • тона́ж (tonáž)shipping
Catalan arqueig, tonatge
  • arqueigshipping
  • tonatgeshipping
Danish tonnage
  • tonnageshipping
Finnish vetoisuus
  • vetoisuusshipping
French tonnage
  • tonnageshipping
Indonesian tonase
  • tonaseshipping
Irish tonnáiste
  • tonnáisteshipping
Japanese トン数
  • トン数 (tonsū)shipping
Norwegian Bokmål tonnasje
  • tonnasjeshipping
Polish tonaż
  • tonażshipping
Portuguese tonelagem
  • tonelagemshipping
Russian тонна́ж
  • тонна́ж (tonnáž)shipping
Scottish Gaelic luingeas
  • luingeasshipping
Spanish tonelaje
  • tonelajeshipping
Swedish tonnage
  • tonnageshipping
Ukrainian тонна́ж
  • тонна́ж (tonnáž)shipping
Welsh tunelledd
  • tunelleddshipping

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

tonnage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonnage

MLA

“tonnage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonnage. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tonnage,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonnage.

Source: tonnage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.