ton

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈtən 

plural tons also ton

1

: any of various units of weight:

a

: short ton see Weights and Measures Table

b

: metric ton

2

: a great quantity : lot

ate tons of cookies

has tons of money

a ton of work to do

3

a

: a unit of internal capacity for ships equal to 100 cubic feet

called also register ton

b

: a unit approximately equal to the volume of a long ton weight of seawater used in reckoning the displacement of ships and equal to 35 cubic feet

c

: a unit of volume for cargo freight usually reckoned at 40 cubic feet

called also measurement ton

ton

2 of 2

noun (2)

ˈtōⁿ 

1

: the prevailing fashion : vogue

2

: the quality or state of being smart or fashionable

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• abundance
• barrel
• basketful
• boatload
• bucket
• bunch
• bundle
• bushel
• carload
• chunk
• deal
• dozen
• fistful
• gobs
• good deal
• heap
• hundred
• lashings [chiefly British]
• lashins
• loads
• lot
• mass
• mess
• mountain
• much
• multiplicity
• myriad
• oodles
• pack
• passel
• peck
• pile
• plateful
• plenitude
• plentitude
• plenty
• pot
• potful
• profusion
• quantity
• raft
• reams
• scads
• sheaf
• shipload
• sight
• slew
• spate
• stack
• store
• truckload
• volume
• wad
• wealth
• yard

Noun (2)

• buzz
• chic
• craze
• dernier cri
• enthusiasm
• fad
• fashion
• flavor
• go
• hot ticket
• last word
• latest
• mode
• rage
• sensation
• style
• trend
• vogue

Examples of ton in a Sentence

Noun (1)

I received a ton of advice on the problem—all of it unsolicited

Noun (2)

granite countertops became all the ton in kitchen decor

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The band and their record label added tons of live recordings, new mixes, and other special bits of content that turned the one CD into a box set–the kind that fans of the band couldn’t wait to get their hands on. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Read More Sports Betting Previews on Newsweek Additionally, there are a ton of Bet Boosts available in the bet365 app. —Tim Van Straten, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

There weren’t a ton of highlight-reel plays for Williams. —Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024

But tons of unlabeled generative-AI slop still flows without consequence on Facebook. —Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English tunne unit of weight or capacity — more at tun

Noun (2)

borrowed from French, "pitch, tone, manner, style," going back to Old French, "sound of voices, voice quality," going back to Latin tonus "strain, tension, musical pitch, note" — more at tone entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Noun (2)

1756, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ton

• bon ton
• came down on us like a ton of bricks
• deadweight ton
• gross ton
• hit him like a ton of bricks
• like a ton of bricks
• long ton
• measurement ton
• metric ton
• register ton
• shit-ton
• short ton
• weigh a ton

Kids Definition

ton

noun

ˈtən

plural tons also ton

1

a

short ton

b

: long ton

2

: metric ton

3