/ tʌn; NAmE / noun
1.
[ C ] ( pl. tons or ton ) a unit for measuring weight, in Britain 2 240 pounds ( long ton ) and in the US 2 000 pounds ( short ton ) :
( informal )
What have you got in this bag? It weighs a ton!
—compare tonne
2.
[ C ] a unit for measuring the size of a ship. 1 ton is equal to 100 cubic feet.
3.
tons [ pl. ] ( informal ) a lot :
They've got tons of money.
I've still got tons to do.
4.
a / the ton ( BrE , informal ) 100, especially when connected with a speed of 100 miles per hour :
He was caught doing a ton.
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IDIOMS
- like a ton of bricks
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : variant of tun , both spellings being used for the container and the weight. The senses were differentiated in the late 17th cent.