Tax is an amount of money that you have to pay to the government so that it can pay for public services.

When a person or company is taxed, they have to pay a part of their income or profits to the government. When goods are taxed, a percentage of their price has to be paid to the government.

If something taxes your strength, your patience, or your resources, it uses nearly all of them, so that you have great difficulty in carrying out what you are trying to do.