tax
noun · verb
Simple meaning
money collected by the government to pay for public services
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
taksIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtæks
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government
“Citizens pay a tax to support public services like roads and schools.”
Money or goods collected by a government (or an entity to whom the government has delegated this power, e.g. in tax farming) to fund itself and its services, for example by levying a charge on income, purchases (sales), property or harvest, other than that money which is collected by the government in exchange for specific goods (e.g. the purchase of surplus vehicles).
A charge (of money, food, labor, etc) collected by a person, organization, etc; something required (exacted) from someone who is (really or notionally) under the control of the taxer, such as a contribution or service.
figurativeuncountable
A burdensome demand
verb
Levy a tax on
transitive
To impose and collect a tax from (a person or company).
transitive
To make excessive demands on.
Make a charge against or accuse
“They taxed him failure to appear in court.”
transitive
To examine accounts in order to allow or disallow items.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government
Used this way, tax is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in government or politics contexts.
“Citizens pay a tax to support public services like roads and schools.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Government/politics
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “tax to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Nearby words
- revenue enhancement , rarer, so it draws attention
Natural pattern: tax to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Charge / moneynoun
“Citizens pay a tax to support public services like roads and schools.”
Makeverb
“They taxed him failure to appear in court.”
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: charge against a citizen's person or property
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “tax” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.