tonne
gb/tˈʌn/ us/tˈʌn/
B1
English
~ 7600
tonna, rengeteg, bőség, egy csomó, egy halom, egy rakás, nagyon sok, vödörszámra
NOUN
B1
TECHNICAL
1
tonna
A2
Usage pattern:
[number] tonnes of [something]
The ship can carry up to 50,000 tonnes of grain.
A hajó akár 50 000 tonna gabonát is el tud szállítani.
Global steel production reached two billion tonnes last year.
A globális acéltermelés tavaly elérte a kétmilliárd tonnát.
Each turbine blade weighs more than ten tonnes.
They reported emissions of 200,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2024.
Farmers harvested over a tonne of wheat per hectare.
Learner examples
The truck can carry twenty tonnes of sand.
A teherautó húsz tonna homokot tud szállítani.
This bridge can hold many tonnes of weight.
Ez a híd soktonnányi terhet is elbír.
The elephant weighs about five tonnes.
The factory produces 300 tonnes of paper each week.
One tonne is the same as 1,000 kilograms.
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "tonne" with "ton". In most British and international usage, "tonne" always means 1,000 kilograms, while "ton" can be a different measure (such as a short ton in the US). Another common mistake is spelling it as "tone" or thinking it is pronounced differently from "ton"; in practice, "ton" and "tonne" are usually pronounced the same.
Meaning
metric unit of mass (1000 kg)
Collocations
metric tonne
|million tonnes
|tonne of CO2
|tonne of coal
|per tonne
|tonnes of cargo
Synonyms
metric ton (Primarily used in American English; same mass as a tonne but different spelling.)
Antonyms
gram (A much smaller unit of mass, used for light objects rather than heavy ones measured in tonnes.)
Themes
science
|measurement
|technology
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A unit for measuring very heavy things, equal to 1,000 kilograms.
A unit of mass in the metric system equal to 1,000 kilograms, approximately 2,205 pounds.
NOUN
B2
INFORMAL
2
Usage pattern:
a tonne of [something]
I’ve got a tonne of work to finish before Friday.
She received a tonne of messages after posting the news online.
We had a tonne of fun at the festival.
There are a tonne of reasons to visit this city.
He made a tonne of mistakes on his first day, but he learned quickly.
Learner examples
I have a tonne of homework tonight.
She drinks a tonne of coffee every day.
They got a tonne of emails after the sale.
We took a tonne of photos on our trip.
He has a tonne of ideas for the project.
Common mistake:
Learners may think "a tonne of" always means exactly 1,000 kilograms. In informal speech and writing, it usually just means "a lot of" and is not an exact measure. Another mistake is using it in very formal writing, where phrases like "a large amount of" or "a great deal of" are more appropriate.
Meaning
a very large amount (informal)
Collocations
a tonne of work
|a tonne of homework
|a tonne of money
|a tonne of problems
|a tonne of emails
Synonyms
tons (of) (Very common informal expression with the same meaning; slightly more natural than "a tonne of" in many varieties of English.)
Antonyms
a little (Expresses a small amount, the opposite of the very large amount suggested by "a tonne of".)
Themes
quantity
|daily_life
|speech
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A way to say there is a lot of something, not an exact number.
A very large amount of something, used informally and not as an exact measurement.
Grammar
Dictionary form
tonne
IPA
GB/tˈʌn/
US/tˈʌn/
Syllables & stress
tonne (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (tonne)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: tonne
- Plural: tonne, tonnes
Word family
Forms
tonnes
noun
Related words
ton
noun B1
tonnage
noun
Advanced or less common
kilotonne
noun
megatonne
noun
Expressions
a tonne of
1/ə tˈʌn əv/
fixed phrase
informal
a very large amount of something
Used before a noun to mean there is a lot of that thing, not an exact amount.
Examples
- There were a tonne of people at the concert last night.
- I’ve got a tonne of emails to answer this morning.
- We ate a tonne of pizza at the party.