tonnage

noun

ton·​nage ˈtə-nij 

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

With that, Asia Pacific’s share of worldwide outbound air freight tonnage has risen two percentage points to 41 percent from 39 percent last year. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 2 Dec. 2024

The Sunseeker 100 has a gross tonnage of 125, for example, while the Ocean Alexander 28E (92 feet) is 163GT. —Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 11 July 2024

All vessels above a certain tonnage are required by international law to have automatic identification systems that allow them to be tracked, and must keep them on at all times. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 19 Nov. 2024

After containers, ro/ro cargo — wheeled vehicles that are rolled on and off of ships — is responsible for the next most tonnage in Baltimore. —Annie Jennemann, Baltimore Sun, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

in sense 3, from Middle English, from Anglo-French, from tonne tun; in other senses, from ton entry 1 — more at tunnel

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids 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