levy

1 of 2

noun

plural levies
1
a
: the imposition or collection of an assessment
The government imposed a levy on gasoline.
b
: an amount levied
2
a
: the enlistment or conscription of men for military service
b
: troops raised by levy
turned green levies into fighting soldiers

levy

2 of 2

verb

levied; levying

transitive verb

1
a
: to impose or collect by legal authority
levy a tax
b
: to require by authority
2
: to enlist or conscript for military service
3
: to carry on (war) : wage

intransitive verb

: to seize property
levier noun

Examples of levy in a Sentence

Noun the legislators approved a new levy on imported cattle to help protect American ranchers Verb They levied a tax on imports. The government will levy a fine on the company.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Town of Saukville Public Safety Referendum Under state law, the increase in the levy of the Town of Saukville for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2025, is limited to 0.757%, which results in a levy of $459,013. Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024 The levy is projected to bring $15.9 million annually to district coffers with collections beginning in January. Sue Kiesewetter, The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024 To begin with, the tax is already a political non-starter, given public opposition to levies on unrealized income. Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Washington state recently implemented a 7% levy on capital gains, while Florida has no such tax. Kristine Owram, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024 The wealth tax would impose a levy upon the capital gains of a subset of the Vermont population who boast a net worth of more than $10 million. Max Zahn, ABC News, 27 Jan. 2024 As of the start of this year, Spotify and its rivals (including France’s very own Deezer) had to start paying a 1.2% levy to a fund supporting the French music sector. David Meyer, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Hunt cut national insurance — a levy paid by people who work — by two percentage points. Krystal Hur, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Districts also regularly ask voters to approve supplemental levies to cover some salaries and operating costs that go beyond state funding. Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 13 Feb. 2024
Verb
In Europe, regulators recently punished Apple for preventing music streaming competitors from communicating with users about promotions and options to upgrade their subscriptions, levying a 1.8 billion-euro fine. Tripp Mickle, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 For years, India has levied prohibitively high tariffs—as much as 100%—on imported foreign EVs. Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 ProPublica only found out about it while reviewing lawsuits levied against the nation’s largest freight carriers in the past 15 years. Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 13 Mar. 2024 For the first time, the city of Los Angeles has levied penalties on a private business for violating local anti-discrimination laws, officials announced Monday. Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Over the course of her tenure, Dixon opened more than 80 probes into the biggest global players and levied over €2.8 billion in fines. Stephanie Bodoni, Fortune Europe, 8 Mar. 2024 Last year, a group of local climate advocacy organizations levied heavy criticism at the city’s efforts to tackle climate issues. Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 According to the European Data Protection Board, the fine is still the biggest-ever levied under the law, which has applied in the EU since 2018. Anna Cooban, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 Hyatt decamped to Nevada, which does not levy income tax. K. Lloyd Billingsley, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'levy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French levé, literally, raising, from lever to raise — more at lever

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of levy was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near levy

Cite this Entry

“Levy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/levy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

levy

1 of 2 noun
plural levies
1
a
: the laying or collection especially of a tax
b
: an amount levied
2
: the calling of troops into service

levy

2 of 2 verb
levied; levying
1
: to establish or collect by legal authority
levy a tax
levy a fine
2
: to raise or collect troops for military service

Legal Definition

levy

1 of 2 noun
plural levies
1
: an act of levying: as
a
: the imposition or collection of a tax
b
: the seizure according to a writ of execution of real or personal property in a judgment debtor's possession to satisfy a judgment debt
2
: an amount levied : tax
providing for a levy of 3% on income up to $10,000D. Q. Posin

levy

2 of 2 verb
levied; levying

transitive verb

1
: to impose or collect (as a tax or fine) with authority
allow it to levy stiffer penalties for some safety violationsNational Law Journal
2
: to enforce or carry into effect (a writ of execution) compare attach, garnish

intransitive verb

: to enforce a writ of execution or attachment
specifically : to make a seizure of real or personal property in a judgment debtor's possession
they might as a last resort levy on his merchandise J. J. White and R. S. Summers

More from Merriam-Webster on levy

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