To impose (a tax or fine) to collect monies due, or to confiscate property.
Understanding levy
• To raise or collect by assessment; to exact by authority.
• To draft someone into military service.
• To raise; to collect; said of troops, to form into an army by enrollment, conscription. etc.
• To wage war.
• To raise, as a siege.
• To erect, build, or set up; to make or construct; to raise or cast up.
(Noun) The act of levying. A conscription action.
• A conscription action.
• The things or people so levied. A tax. A tax paid in money. A tax in kind. Requisitioned supplies. A body of conscripts.
• A tax. A tax paid in money. A tax in kind.
• A tax paid in money.
• A tax in kind.
• Requisitioned supplies.
• A body of conscripts.
• A shilling.
(Noun) The Spanish real of one eighth of a dollar, valued at elevenpence when the dollar was rated at seven shillings and sixpence.
How levy affects you
levy appears in U.S. legal practice across multiple practice areas. Knowing what it means — and when it applies — can determine the outcome of motions, filings, and negotiations. For non-lawyers, the value of looking up a precise definition is that legal terms often carry meanings that differ from everyday usage; relying on the common meaning can lead to costly missteps.
The mechanics of levy
In practice, levy is invoked when parties, judges, or attorneys need to identify the legal status of an issue, the rights of those involved, or the procedural step required next. The definition shown above is sourced from Wiktionary , which is widely cited in U.S. legal practice. Because U.S. law is jurisdictionally layered — federal, state, and sometimes local — the precise application of the term can vary by court, so check the controlling authority for your specific case.