income tax

noun

Synonyms of income taxnext
: a tax on the net income of an individual or a business

Examples of income tax in a Sentence

Federal income tax will be deducted from your pay. The new law will lower income taxes for most taxpayers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Neighboring Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New York and New Jersey have met their obligations by boosting state income tax rates on top earners in recent years. — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026 Another notable finding was voters’ support of Proposition 3, which would make permanent a higher income tax rate on the wealthy that funds education. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026 Essentially, people tend to pay more attention to their property tax bills than, say, a sales tax or income tax. — Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026 Local property taxes are deductible for the purposes of federal income tax. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for income tax

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of income tax was in 1799

Rhymes for income tax

See All Rhymes for income tax

Browse Nearby Words

income splitting
income tax
(income) tax return
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Income tax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/income%20tax. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

income tax

noun
ˈin-(ˌ)kəm-
: a tax on the income of a person or business

Legal Definition

income tax

noun
: a tax on the net income of an individual or a business compare excise, property tax

More from Merriam-Webster on income tax

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for income tax

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about income tax

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All