tons

Everyday

1. (informal) Tons, or "tons of", means a lot, a great amount: "I've got tons of homework." tree →
2. Tons is the plural of ton, a unit of weight: in the USA a (short) ton is 2,000 pounds (about 907 kg); in the UK an old (long) ton is 2,240 pounds (about 1,016 kg). tree →
3. A metric ton, usually spelled "tonne", is 1,000 kilograms. tree →
4. (informal) "Tons" can mean much: "She's tons better at chess than me." tree →
5. (UK, informal) "A ton" is also 100: "doing a ton" means 100 miles per hour, and in cricket a ton is a century (100 runs). tree →

In the lessons

In maths and science lessons tons and tonnes measure very heavy things: lorries, ships, whales and elephants. In everyday talk children say "tons of" all the time. Safety signs on bridges show maximum weight in tons/tonnes (with "t" as the symbol). Phrases: "tons of", "weigh a ton", "like a ton of bricks" (very hard).

Examples

• I've got tons of homework tonight. tree →
• An elephant can weigh about 6 tons. tree →
• The bridge sign says lorries over 7.5 tonnes cannot cross. tree →
• My bag weighs a ton! (informal) tree →
• There were tons of people at the fair. tree →
• A blue whale weighs over 100 tons. tree →
• I feel tons better after a sleep. tree →
• He scored a ton in the cricket match, 100 runs. tree →
• Why, it would take us a year, possibly our whole lives, to eat up twelve oxen and twelve tons of bread.’ tree →

Note

Trap: ton (US 2,000 lb, UK 2,240 lb) and tonne (1,000 kg) are different; in maths problems use the unit given, and "metric ton" means tonne. 1 tonne = 1,000 kg, so 3 tonnes = 3,000 kg. "Tons of" with uncountable or plural nouns is informal: in exam writing use "a lot of" or "many". Do not confuse ton with "tun" (a large barrel).