import

[ verb im-pawrt, -pohrt; noun im-pawrt, -pohrt ]

/ verb ɪmˈpɔrt, -ˈpoʊrt; noun ˈɪm pɔrt, -poʊrt /

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See synonyms for: import / imported / importing / importer on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to bring in (merchandise, commodities, workers, etc.) from a foreign country for use, sale, processing, reexport, or services.

to bring or introduce from one use, connection, or relation into another: foreign bodies imported into the blood; foodstuffs imported from the farm.

to convey as meaning or implication; signify: Her words imported a change of attitude.

to involve as a necessary circumstance; imply: Religion imports belief.

Computers. to bring (documents, data, etc.) into one software program from another.

Archaic. to be of consequence or importance to; concern.

verb (used without object)

to be of consequence or importance; to matter: We are friends, and it does not import that we have only just met.

noun

something that is imported from abroad; an imported commodity or article.

the act of importing or bringing in; importation, as of goods from abroad: the import of foreign cars.

consequence or importance: matters of great import.

meaning; implication; purport: He felt the import of her words.

OTHER WORDS FOR import

10 significance, sense.

See synonyms for import on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of import

1400–50; late Middle English importen<Latin importāre.See im-¹, port⁵

OTHER WORDS FROM import

im·port·a·ble, adjectiveim·port·a·bil·i·ty, nounim·port·er, nounnon·im·port, noun

o·ver·im·port, verb (used with object)pre·im·port, verb (used with object)pre·im·port, nounun·im·port·ed, adjectiveun·im·port·ing, adjective

Words nearby import

impolitic, imponderabilia, imponderable, impone, imponent, import, importance, important, importation, importee, import quota

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use import in a sentence

China has fallen behind in its purchases of American agricultural products and energy imports.
Jefferies strategist expects China to fulfill its U.S. trade deal commitments for an unexpected reason|Veta Chan|August 27, 2020|Fortune
The resulting production slowdown caused bottlenecks for all of sorts of imports.
Why the US can’t stock dumbbells fast enough|Jenni Avins|August 26, 2020|Quartz
The import reduction is due to three main factors, according to spirits industry veteran Adam Levy.
Covid-19 and a trade war are a deadly mix for US liquor imports|Dan Kopf|August 21, 2020|Quartz
India’s smart move to tackle this dual problem was to launch a policy which could reduce the crude oil import along with handling the environmental crisis.
How an Indian flight could run on biofuel—but India cannot|Monika Mandal|August 11, 2020|Quartz

The company also announced new initiatives to automate data imports into Google Ads.
Google extends lead forms to YouTube, Discovery campaigns|Ginny Marvin|August 5, 2020|Search Engine Land
The import of those words resonated through my entire being.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More|Gary Wright|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
CEO Mark Thompson, a solidly-built, 6-foot-2 import from the BBC.
Dean Baquet, the NYT’s Executive Editor, on Jill Abramson, Race, Surviving Cancer—and TMZ Envy|Lloyd Grove|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Is it possible that Zima might even make a comeback in the U.S.A, perhaps as some sort of exotic import?
In Japan, Zima Haz No Zexual Preference|Jake Adelstein, Angela Erika Kubo|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How the Export-Import Bank” became a target “for Tea Party wrath is a little strange to me.
Lobbyist Derangement Syndrome Sweeps DC|James Poulos|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Earlier this year, a Long Island man admitted to trying to import 40,000 piranhas from Hong Kong.
The $10 Billion Pet Cheetah and Chimp Industry|Sharon Adarlo|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When you next hear of, or see Philip Wharton, you will understand the import of your own words.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
I add nothing to the “Extremes,” import nothing from abroad in regard to them, invent nothing.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
Porson smoked many bundles of cheroots, which nabobs began to import.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The verb (—) in the Hebrew, when connected with the name of God in different other passages, has the same import.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
If performed to God, it is, according to the import of the expression confessing to him, to Covenant.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham

British Dictionary definitions for import

import

verb (ɪmˈpɔːt, ˈɪmpɔːt)

to buy or bring in (goods or services) from a foreign countryCompare export

(tr) to bring in from an outside sourceto import foreign words into the language

rare to signify or be significant; mean; conveyto import doom

noun (ˈɪmpɔːt)

(often plural)

goods (visible imports) or services (invisible imports) that are bought from foreign countries
(as modifier)an import licence

significance or importancea man of great import

meaning or signification

Canadian informal a sportsman or -woman who is not native to the country in which he or she plays

Derived forms of import

importable, adjectiveimportability, nounimporter, noun

Word Origin for import

C15: from Latin importāre to carry in, from im- + portāre to carry

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

import

OTHER WORDS FOR import

Origin of import

OTHER WORDS FROM import

Words nearby import

Words related to import

How to use import in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for import

Derived forms of import

Word Origin for import