Synonyms

impose

American

[im-pohz] / ɪmˈpoʊz /

verb (used with object)

to lay on or set as something to be borne, endured, obeyed, fulfilled, paid, etc..

to impose taxes.
to put or set by or as if by authority.

to impose one's personal preference on others.
to obtrude or thrust (oneself, one's company, etc.) upon others.

Synonyms:

foist, force
to pass or palm off fraudulently or deceptively.

He imposed his pretentious books on the public.
Printing. to lay (type pages, plates, etc.) in proper order on an imposing stone or the like and secure in a chase for printing.
to lay on or inflict, as a penalty.
Archaic. to put or place on something, or in a particular place.
Obsolete. to lay on (the hands) ceremonially, as in confirmation or ordination.

verb (used without object)

to make an impression on the mind; impose one's or its authority or influence.
to obtrude oneself or one's requirements, as upon others.

Are you sure my request doesn't impose?
to presume, as upon patience or good nature.

verb phrase

impose on / upon
1. to thrust oneself offensively upon others; intrude.
2. to take unfair advantage of; misuse (influence, friendship, etc.).
3. to defraud; cheat; deceive.
  
  A study recently showed the shocking number of confidence men that impose on the public.

impose British

/ ɪmˈpəʊz /

verb

(tr) to establish as something to be obeyed or complied with; enforce

to impose a tax on the people
to force (oneself, one's presence, etc) on another or others; obtrude
(intr) to take advantage, as of a person or quality

to impose on someone's kindness
(tr) printing to arrange pages so that after printing and folding the pages will be in the correct order
(tr) to pass off deceptively; foist

to impose a hoax on someone
(tr) (of a bishop or priest) to lay (the hands) on the head of a candidate for certain sacraments

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of impose

First recorded in 1475–85; late Middle English, from Middle French imposer, equivalent to im- im- ¹ + poser “to stop, cease”; pose ¹; pose ²

Explanation

To impose means to force or inflict something on someone else. If you want to impose your musical taste on your parents, play your tunes all day at top volume. The verb impose emerged in the 1580s, meaning "to lay on as a burden," which is very similar to the modern meaning. Governments often impose taxes, legal restrictions, and other burdensome things on citizens, for example. But you should remember what Confucius once wisely said: "Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire."

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Vocabulary lists containing impose

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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:

impose imposes imposed imposing

And it hopes its new laws – which would also impose a legal duty of care on online services – will help Australians become happier and healthier.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Differences in shell structure or muscle anatomy might impose physical limits on how large North American crayfish can become.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

For example, if the government decided to impose a tax on stock sales and dedicate a portion of estate-tax revenues toward Social Security, a given person might not be affected by both those measures.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

The law, which went into effect immediately, also authorizes the state tax agency to impose tax liability on individual members of a business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Again, I said that they must furnish evidence if they were going to impose any penalties.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Marsh will recommend that clients seek cover elsewhere if an insurer imposes AI exclusions, the letter said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

“You see the role of a mother who tries to play this more empathic part, while the father is the one playing the role of the educator who imposes his rules,” Mungiu says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

The U.S. imposes a 25% tariff on cars assembled in Canada, Mexico and elsewhere abroad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

However, Medicare Advantage imposes restrictions such as requiring prior authorization for specialists or procedures and has limited provider networks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

It is true that the state imposes a license fee, but that fee does not come to the counties or the towns except for road maintenance and extension.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Ukraine said this week, as Operation Vivaldi concluded, that the system had restrictions imposed without warning, limiting their capability.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

European nations have imposed taxes on individual net worth over the years, but most have repealed them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Due to Bank of America's "egregious and continued" violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, the OCC imposed its biggest civil money penalty assessed against a bank, said Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Historically, private equity and private debt funds imposed lock-ups that prevented accredited investors from accessing their funds for long periods of time.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

His own, not those imposed on him by other people, such as the faculty of the Devon School.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Judge Alistair Watson said he was imposing a sentence which reflected the seriousness and persistence of Petrie's crimes.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Treasury Department said late Tuesday it was imposing penalties of more than $1.21 billion against Bank of America for violations of anti-money-laundering laws.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

The US Treasury Department said Tuesday that it is imposing penalties of more than $1.2 billion on Bank of America, citing "violations of anti-money laundering and sanctions laws."

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Then he launched another, this time a little closer to the imposing video board looming over American Family Field that bore the massive “2026 NLCS” logo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

My dad was about six-foot-two, and while he was probably the least violent guy ever, he could look pretty imposing.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023