ton

ton

ton¹ or displacement ton [tun]

n.

pl. tons; sometimes, after a number,ton [var. (differentiated (17th-c.) for senses “weight, measure”) of TUN]

1. a unit of weight, equal to 2,000 pounds avoirdupois (907.1847 kilograms or 0.90718 metric ton or 0.8929 long ton), commonly used in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, etc.: in full short ton

2. a unit of weight, equal to 2,240 pounds avoirdupois (1,016.0469 kilograms or 1.016 metric tons or 1.12 short tons), commonly used in Great Britain: in full long ton

3. METRIC TON

4. a unit of internal capacity of ships, equal to 100 cubic feet (or 2.8317 cubic meters): in full register ton

5. a unit of carrying capacity of ships, usually equal to 40 cubic feet: also called measurement ton or freight ton

6. a unit for measuring displacement of ships, equal to 35 cubic feet: it is approximately equal to the volume of a long ton of sea water: in full displacement ton

☆ 7. a unit of cooling capacity of an air conditioner, equal to 12,000 Btu per hour

8. [often pl.] Informal a very large amount or number: Abbrev. T, t, or tn

ton² [tōn]

n.

[Fr: see TONE]

style; vogue