ton
Pluraltons
- 1
- 2A unit of weight: 2,000 pounds in the US, 2,240 pounds in the UK, or 1,000 kilograms (a metric ton).
About as heavy as a small car.
This machine can lift one ton of steel at a time.
The truck hauled five tons of sand to the building site.
Note
- 3A unit of size for ships equal to 100 cubic feet of space.
In this system, one ton of space inside a ship is 100 cubic feet.
The vessel was rated at five hundred tons of internal space.
Less common meanings
- 4A unit of cooling power equal to about 3.5 kilowatts, used to rate air conditioners.
Like the cooling you'd get if a big block of ice slowly melted all day long.
The new air conditioner is rated at one ton of cooling.
Our new air conditioner is rated at three tons.
Note
- 5A sum of 100 pounds in British money.
He won a ton on the lottery last night.
The jacket cost me nearly a ton.
UsageA ton is £100; a ton of money is a lot.
Note
- 6
- 7A unit of cargo space equal to 40 cubic feet in the US.
The shipper billed the bulky crates by the freight ton, or 40 cubic feet.
They charged the shipment by the ton of space, not its weight.
Note
- 8A speed of one hundred miles per hour.
The bikers bragged about hitting a ton on the motorway.
His old car could barely reach a ton downhill.
UsageSay do a ton.
Note
- 9USTAHN/tɑn/UKTON/tɔ̃/The people who are rich and fashionable in society.
She longed to be welcomed by the ton.
The ball drew all the ton of the city.
UsageSay the ton for the whole group.
Similarelite, aristocracy, gentry
Note
- 10The fashion or style that is popular at a certain time.
If our people of ton are selfish, at any rate they show they are selfish.
1857, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century - 11A large sea fish of the tuna family.
Practice
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Origins
A different spelling of "tun" (a cask), shaped by the Old French word "tonne" meaning ton.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Ton is a variant spelling of tun, meaning a cask. en.wiktionary.org
- The spelling was influenced by Old French tonne, meaning ton. en.wiktionary.org
From French "ton" meaning manner, which came from Latin "tonus".
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- English ton was borrowed from French ton, meaning manner. en.wiktionary.org
- French ton came from Latin tonus. en.wiktionary.org