impost
1 Americannoun
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a tax; tribute; duty.
-
a customs duty.
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Horse Racing. the weight assigned to a horse in a race.
verb (used with object)
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imposts,
present (3rd person singular)
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imposted,
past participle, past
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imposting
present participle
noun
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the point of springing of an arch; spring.
-
an architectural feature immediately beneath this point.
noun
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a tax, esp a customs duty
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horse racing the specific weight that a particular horse must carry in a handicap race
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
impostsimple
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impostssimple
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have impostedperfect
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has impostedperfect
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am impostingprogressive
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are impostingprogressive
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is impostingprogressive
-
have been impostingperfect progressive
-
has been impostingperfect progressive
Past
-
impostedsimple
-
had impostedperfect
-
was impostingprogressive
-
were impostingprogressive
-
had been impostingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of impost1
1560–70; < Medieval Latin impostus a tax, noun use of Latin impostus, variant of impositus imposed; see imposition
Origin of impost2
1655–65; < French imposte < Italian imposta < Latin: feminine of impostus (past participle); see impost 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He tells clients in a note that a sale for A$500 million plus appropriate brand value, with only a modest capital gains tax impost, would be positively received by investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
Congress sought another impost in 1783, but New York refused this time, fearing the creation of a powerful central government.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
She defied a penalty at Lingfield last time with ease and another 6lb impost for that victory is unlikely to stop her such was the manner of her success.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 23, 2013
As reported by Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Crosby was not tame in his criticism of the hits and the league’s decision to not impost supplementary discipline.
From New York Times ● Jan. 10, 2011
The weights would be announced that winter, and given the results of the match race, the track racing secretary would obviously be inclined to assign Seabiscuit the biggest impost of his career.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Article I, Section 8 allows Congress to “lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises.”
From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2019
In policy matters, he proved obtuse, recommending, in one of his first initiatives, a blanket cancellation of all trade imposts.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 6, 2018
He and others, including former President Madison, argued that Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution gave Congress the power to “lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises.”
From Textbooks ● Dec. 30, 2014
The absence of fringe taxes that would be incurred in the U.S. — such as imposts on employee benefits, payroll and other levies — also helps reduce overall postproduction cost.
From Time ● Apr. 12, 2011
To make races more competitive, tracks schedule “handicap” races, in which a racing secretary, also called a track handicap- per, assigns more accomplished horses higher weights, or imposts, than less accomplished horses.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
