Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: MEASUREMENT

Date: 1200-1300
Origin: tun 'container, unit of weight' (11-21 centuries), from Old English tunne

ton

 noun
     
ton S3 [countable]
1 plural tons or ton written abbreviation tTM a unit for measuring weight, equal to 2240 pounds or 1016 kilograms in Britain, and 2000 pounds or 907.2 kilograms in the US ➔ tonne
2

tons of something

informal a lot of something:
I've got tons of work to do.
3

weigh a ton

informal to be very heavy:
Your bag weighs a ton!
4

come down on somebody like a ton of bricks

informal to get very angry with someone about something they have done
5

hit somebody like a ton of bricks

American English informal to have a strong emotional effect on someone
Definition of ton from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic MEASUREMENT
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