tunnage

UK: /ˈtʌnɪdʒ/ US: (tun′ij)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tun•nage  (tun′ij), n. 

1. Naval Terms tonnage.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tunnage / ˈtʌnɪdʒ/ noun

1. a variant spelling of tonnage

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ton•nage /ˈtʌnɪdʒ/   n. [uncountable]

1. Nautical, Naval Terms the capacity or amount of weight of a merchant vessel, expressed in tons.
2. Nautical, Naval Terms ships considered with reference to their capacity to hold cargo.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ton•nage  (tun′ij), n. 

1. the capacity of a merchant vessel, expressed either in units of weight, as deadweight tons, or of volume, as gross tons.
2. ships collectively considered with reference to their carrying capacity or together with their cargoes.
3. a duty on ships or boats at so much per ton of cargo or freight, or according to the capacity in tons.

Also, tunnage.

• Old French. See ton¹, -age
• late Middle English: duty 1375–1425

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tonnage, tunnage / ˈtʌnɪdʒ/ noun

1. the capacity of a merchant ship expressed in tons, for which purpose a ton is considered as 40 cubic feet of freight or 100 cubic feet of bulk cargo, unless such an amount would weigh more than 2000 pounds in which case the actual weight is used
2. the weight of the cargo of a merchant ship
3. the total amount of shipping of a port or nation, estimated by the capacity of its ships
4. a duty on ships based either on their capacity or their register tonnage

Etymology: 15th Century: from Old French, from tonne barrel