imposition

American  

[im-puh-zish-uhn] / ˌɪm pəˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

• impositions
  plural

1. the laying on of something as a burden or obligation.

2. something imposed, as a burden or duty; an unusual or extraordinarily burdensome requirement or task.

3. the act of imposing by or as if by authority.

4. an instance of imposing upon a person.

   He did the favor but considered the request an imposition.

5. the act of imposing fraudulently or deceptively on others; imposture.

6. the ceremonial laying on of hands, as in confirmation or ordination.

7. Printing. the arrangement of page plates in proper order on a press for printing a signature.

8. the act of putting, placing, or laying on.

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imposition British  

/ ˌɪmpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of imposing

2. something that is imposed unfairly on someone

3. (in Britain) a task set as a school punishment

4. the arrangement of pages for printing so that the finished work will have its pages in the correct order

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonimposition
  noun
• preimposition
  noun
• reimposition
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• impositions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of imposition

1325–75; Middle English imposicioun < Late Latin impositiōn- (stem of impositiō ), equivalent to imposit ( us ) past participle of impōnere to place upon, impose ( im- im- ¹ + posi-, variant stem of pōnere to put + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

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Explanation

Imposition means you force something — usually an unwanted burden — on someone else. If your friends invite themselves over for dinner the night before your big test, that's an imposition because you'll have to cook instead of studying. Imposition comes from the 14th century Old French word of the same spelling, meaning "the levying of taxes, a tax, duty." Taxes are a good way to remember the meaning of imposition. You never want to pay taxes — but you have no choice but to pay. It can be the same for other kinds of burdens: if something is an imposition, you don't want to do it, but you likely will have to.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

imposition impositions

"I think the family tax, the family farm imposition, was a mistake," the former Labour minister said, adding it "touched a nerve".

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

For Antigone this is an imposition of political power over divine law, and she puts her life on the line to uphold her obligation to her family and faith.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

President Trump paused the imposition of 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian goods for three days while trade negotiations continued.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

This was one of the stated reasons for the imposition of recent tariffs on Brazilian goods.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

He didn’t want to be an imposition, but he also couldn’t deny that he was still hungry.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

The film is lightning in a bottle, magic that only stands to have its smoke dispersed and mirrors cracked by the unnecessary impositions of the dreaded Hollywood sequel.

From Salon ● May 1, 2026

That heritage gave both him and the backcountry settlers he epitomized their combative sense of equality and dignity—rooted in the history of British impositions on their ancestral lands in Ulster.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

“We don’t want impositions on the Mercosur,” Lula said in a live broadcast on social media.

From Reuters ● Jul. 4, 2023

To avoid further rent raises and other impositions, tenants at the Selah Hills trailer park came together to buy their mobile home park and form what’s called a Resident Owned Community.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2023

Even the most ardent anticommunists among them regarded the oath as an uncomfortable reminder of the impositions on academic freedom they had suffered in their homelands.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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Related Words

• intrusion

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