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exportation

American  
[ek-spawr-tey-shuhn, -spohr-] / ˌɛk spɔrˈteɪ ʃən, -spoʊr- /

noun

  1. the act of exporting; the sending of commodities out of a country, typically in trade.

  2. something exported.


exportation British  
/ ˌɛkspɔːˈteɪʃən /

noun

  1. the act, business, or process of exporting goods or services

  2. an exported product or service

"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

Etymology

Origin of exportation

1600–10; < Latin exportātiōn- (stem of exportātiō ), equivalent to exportāt ( us ) (past participle of exportāre to export ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Exportation is the process of selling goods in another country. The exportation of soybeans, auto parts, and medicine are all important parts of the U.S. economy. Exportation comes from the verb export and its Latin root exportare, "to carry out" or "to send away." Exportation is one vital way of selling goods, like food or vehicles, and services, such as insurance or information technology. The process involves moving things across borders, from one country to another. You can also use this word for the spreading of ideas: "The exportation of American culture is clear when you travel around the world."

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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:

"We will no longer tolerate the raw exportation of our wealth," President Emmerson Mnangagwa said this week as he opened an industrialisation conference.

From Barron's Jul. 26, 2026

Maarij granted exportation rights to Said’s companies, the department will say.

From The Wall Street Journal May 7, 2026

To address these issues, Murray and his colleagues pressured the colonial government to legislate against the exportation of artefacts and to establish museums.

From BBC Sep. 21, 2024

"They have to export cheese because there's much so much cheese," she says, "but wine exportation was never really necessary. So the wine always stayed a little bit hidden. It was a niche."

From Salon Sep. 10, 2023

We may be sure, however, that this exportation is transacted not simply for the emoluments of sale, but for the instruction of awful example.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

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