ton1

 
Pronunciation: /tʌn/
(abbreviation: t, also US tn)

noun

  • 1 (also long ton) a unit of weight equal to 2,240 lb avoirdupois (1016.05 kg).
  • (also short ton) chiefly North American a unit of weight equal to 2,000 lb avoirdupois (907.19 kg).
  • short for metric ton.
  • (also displacement ton) a unit of measurement of a ship’s weight representing the weight of water it displaces with the load line just immersed, equal to 2,240 lb or 35 cu. ft (0.99 cubic metres).
  • (also freight ton) a unit of weight or volume of sea cargo, equal to a metric ton (1,000 kg) or 40 cu. ft.
  • 2 (also gross ton) a unit of gross internal capacity, equal to 100 cu. ft (2.83 cubic metres).
  • (also net or register ton) an equivalent unit of net internal capacity.
  • a measure of capacity for various materials, especially 40 cu. ft of timber.
  • a unit of refrigerating power able to freeze 2,000 lb of water at 0°C in 24 hours.
  • 3 (usually a ton of/tons of) informal a large number or amount: all of a sudden I had tons of friends
  • 4British informal a hundred, in particular a speed of 100 mph, a score of 100 or more, or a sum of £100: he scored 102 not out, his third ton of the tour

adverb

(tons) British informal
  • much; a lot: I feel tons better

Phrases

like a ton of bricks

see brick.

Origin:

Middle English: variant of tun, both spellings being used for the container and the weight. The senses were differentiated in the late 17th century