tonne

American

[tuhn] / tʌn /

noun

metric ton.

tonne British

/ tʌn /

noun

Also called (not in technical use): metric ton. a unit of mass equal to 1000 kg or 2204.6 pounds

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tonne

From French, dating back to 1900–05; ton ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The price of the bunker fuel that powers ships nearly doubled after the war broke out, peaking at $1,053 per metric tonne on March 20.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

He said prices had risen further since then, to about £540 a tonne, if it was even available at all.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

Even under relatively conservative assumptions, the cost per tonne of carbon emitted is far higher than many government estimates.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

"If you are trapped under just 50cm of snow of this density, you already have more than a quarter of a tonne on top of you," explains Bornet.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

Weighing up to a tonne, the Erumpent may be mistaken for a rhinoceros at a distance.

From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023