capable of being taxed; able to bear tax subject to tax
- (often plural)
a person, income, property, etc, that is subject to tax
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
tax /tæks/USA pronunciation
n.
v. [~ + object]
tax•a•tion, n. [uncountable]See -tact-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Governmenta sum of money paid to a government for its support, based on income, etc.: [uncountable]a burdensome income tax.[countable]to rebel against paying new taxes.
v. [~ + object]
- Government(of a government)
- to put or impose a tax on (a person or business):The government taxes its citizens according to their ability to pay.
- to demand a tax on (goods, etc.):Income and savings would both be taxed.
- to make serious demands on (someone);
burden;
strain:Putting the children through college taxes our financial resources.
tax•a•tion, n. [uncountable]See -tact-.
tax•a•ble
(tak′sə bəl),USA pronunciation adj.
n.
tax′a•bil′i•ty, tax′a•ble•ness, n.
tax′a•bly, adv.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- capable of being taxed;
subject to tax:a taxable gain.
n.
- Usually, taxables. persons, items of property, etc., that are subject to tax.
- 1425–75; late Middle English; see tax, -able
tax′a•bly, adv.
tax
(taks),USA pronunciation n.
v.t.
v.i.
tax′er, n.
tax′ing•ly, adv.
tax′less, adj.
tax′less•ly, adv.
tax′less•ness, n.
tax-,
- a sum of money demanded by a government for its support or for specific facilities or services, levied upon incomes, property, sales, etc.
- a burdensome charge, obligation, duty, or demand.
v.t.
- (of a government)
- to demand a tax from (a person, business, etc.).
- to demand a tax in consideration of the possession or occurrence of (income, goods, sales, etc.), usually in proportion to the value of money involved.
- to lay a burden on;
make serious demands on:to tax one's resources. - to take to task;
censure;
reprove;
accuse:to tax one with laziness. - Informal Termsto charge:What did he tax you for that?
- [Archaic.]to estimate or determine the amount or value of.
v.i.
- to levy taxes.
- Medieval Latin taxāre to tax, appraise, Latin: to appraise, handle, frequentative of tangere to touch; (noun, nominal) Middle English, derivative of the verb, verbal
- (verb, verbal) Middle English taxen 1250–1300
tax′ing•ly, adv.
tax′less, adj.
tax′less•ly, adv.
tax′less•ness, n.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged duty, impost, levy.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged strain, tire, stretch.
tax-,
- var. of taxo- before a vowel:taxeme.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'taxable base' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):