ton1

[tuhn] /tʌn/
noun
1.
a unit of weight, equivalent to 2000 pounds (0.907 metric ton) avoirdupois (short ton) in the U.S. and 2240 pounds (1.016 metric tons) avoirdupois (long ton) in Great Britain.
2.
Also called freight ton. a unit of volume for freight that weighs one ton, varying with the type of freight measured, as 40 cubic feet of oak timber or 20 bushels of wheat.
3.
metric ton.
4.
displacement ton.
5.
a unit of volume used in transportation by sea, commonly equal to 40 cubic feet (1.13 cu. m) (shipping ton or measurement ton)
6.
a unit of internal capacity of ships, equal to 100 cubic feet (2.83 cu. m) (register ton)
7.
Often, tons. Informal. a great quantity; a lot:
a ton of jokes; tons of wedding presents.
8.
British Informal. a speed of 100 miles per hour.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English; variant of tun

ton2

[French tawn] /French tɔ̃/
noun, plural tons
[French tawn] /French tɔ̃/ (Show IPA)
1.
high fashion; stylishness.
2.
the current fashion, style, or vogue.
Origin
1755-65; < French < Latin tonus tone
Related forms
tonish, tonnish
[ton-ish] /ˈtɒn ɪʃ/ (Show IPA), adjective
tonishly, tonnishly, adverb
tonishness, tonnishness, noun

-ton

1.
a suffix formerly used to form nouns from adjectives:
simpleton; singleton.
Origin
variant of dial. tone one (see tother)
Examples from the web for ton
  • The problem is that both books contain an article's worth of ideas and a ton of padding.
  • The humpback, in particular, can eat more than a ton of krill in one day.
  • There's a ton of research that shows playing games with people actually improves relationships with them.
  • Wood is heavy enough as it is, but combined with all those bolted-on brackets it likely weighs a ton.
  • There aren't a ton of jobs being posted right now due to the economy, but by the time you are graduating, it should pick up.
  • Adults grow up to eight feet long and can weigh a ton.
  • There is a ton of well-researched, fascinating information with terrific and terrifying stories from history.
  • What resulted was a tennis game that's a ton of fun, overall.
  • The real problem here is that governments make a ton of money from alcohol taxes.
  • He does field research on anacondas, which can weigh more than half a ton.
British Dictionary definitions for ton

ton1

/tʌn/
noun
1.
(Brit) Also called long ton. a unit of weight equal to 2240 pounds or 1016.046909 kilograms
2.
(US) Also called short ton, net ton. a unit of weight equal to 2000 pounds or 907.184 kilograms
3.
Also called metric ton, tonne. a unit of weight equal to 1000 kilograms
4.
Also called freight ton. a unit of volume or weight used for charging or measuring freight in shipping. It depends on the type of material being shipped but is often taken as 40 cubic feet, 1 cubic metre, or 1000 kilograms: freight is charged at £40 per ton of 1 cubic metre
5.
Also called measurement ton, shipping ton. a unit of volume used in shipping freight, equal to 40 cubic feet, irrespective of the commodity shipped
6.
Also called displacement ton. a unit used for measuring the displacement of a ship, equal to 35 cubic feet of sea water or 2240 pounds
7.
Also called register ton. a unit of internal capacity of ships equal to 100 cubic feet
See also tons
Word Origin
C14: variant of tun

ton2

/tɔ̃/
noun
1.
style, fashion, or distinction
Word Origin
C18: from French, from Latin tonustone

ton3

/tʌn/
noun
1.
(slang, mainly Brit) a score or achievement of a hundred, esp a hundred miles per hour, as on a motorcycle
Word Origin
C20: special use of ton1 applied to quantities of one hundred
Word Origin and History for ton
n.

late 14c., tonne, unit for measuring the carrying capacity of a ship, originally "space occupied by a tun or cask of wine," thus identical to tun (q.v.). The two words were not differentiated until 1680s. The measure of weight is first recorded late 15c.; the spelling ton is from 1530s, and became firmly established 18c.

ton in Science
ton
  (tŭn)   

  1. A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms). Also called short ton. See Table at measurement.

  2. A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to 2,240 pounds (1,008 kilograms). Also called long ton. See Table at measurement.

  3. See metric ton.


Slang definitions & phrases for ton

ton

noun
  1. A large extent, amount, or number: I have a ton of work
  2. A speed of 100 miles an hour; a high speed (1954+ Teenagers & car racing)

Related Abbreviations for ton

TON

threshold odor number
Idioms and Phrases with ton

ton

see: like a ton of bricks
Encyclopedia Article for ton

unit of weight in the avoirdupois system equal to 2,000 pounds (907.18 kg) in the United States (the short ton) and 2,240 pounds (1,016.05 kg) in Britain (the long ton). The metric ton used in most other countries is 1,000 kg, equivalent to 2,204.6 pounds avoirdupois. The term derives from tun, denoting a large barrel used in the wine trade and named from the French tonnerre, or "thunder," in turn named for the rumbling it produced when rolled. Ton came to mean any large weight, until it was standardized at 20 hundredweight although the total weight could be 2,000, 2,160, 2,240, or 2,400 pounds (from 907.18 to 1088.62 kg) depending on whether the corresponding hundredweight contained 100, 108, 112, or 120 pounds

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