import

American  

[im-pawrt, -pohrt, im-pawrt, -pohrt] / ɪmˈpɔrt, -ˈpoʊrt, ˈɪm pɔrt, -poʊrt /

verb (used with object)

• imports,
  present (3rd person singular)
• imported,
  past participle,  past
• importing
  present participle

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

2. to bring or introduce from one use, connection, or relation into another.

   foreign bodies imported into the blood; foodstuffs imported from the farm.

3. to convey as meaning or implication; signify.

   Her words imported a change of attitude.

4. to involve as a necessary circumstance; imply.

   Religion imports belief.

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

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

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verb (used without object)

• imports,
  present (3rd person singular)
• imported,
  past participle,  past
• importing
  present participle

1. to be of consequence or importance; to matter.

   We are friends, and it does not import that we have only just met.

noun

• imports
  plural

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

2. the act of importing or bringing in; importation, as of goods from abroad.

   the import of foreign cars.

3. consequence or importance.

   matters of great import.

   Synonyms:

   sense, significance

4. meaning; implication; purport.

   He felt the import of her words.

import British  

verb

1. to buy or bring in (goods or services) from a foreign country Compare export

2. (tr) to bring in from an outside source

   to import foreign words into the language

3. rare to signify or be significant; mean; convey

   to import doom

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noun

1. (often plural)

   1. goods ( visible imports ) or services ( invisible imports ) that are bought from foreign countries

   2. ( as modifier )

      an import licence

2. significance or importance

   a man of great import

3. meaning or signification

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• importability
  noun
• importer
  noun
• nonimport
  noun
• preimport
  noun
• overimport
  verb (used with object)
• preimport
  verb (used with object)
• importable
  adjective
• unimported
  adjective
• unimporting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• imports
  plural

Participles

• importing
  present
• imported
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• import
  simple
• imports
  simple
• have imported
  perfect
• has imported
  perfect
• am importing
  progressive
• are importing
  progressive
• is importing
  progressive
• have been importing
  perfect progressive
• has been importing
  perfect progressive

Past

• imported
  simple
• had imported
  perfect
• was importing
  progressive
• were importing
  progressive
• had been importing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will import
  simple
• will have imported
  perfect
• will be importing
  progressive
• will have been importing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of import

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English importen, from Latin importāre; equivalent to im- ¹ + port ⁵

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Explanation

Imports are the products shipped into our country from other places. We import Japanese autos and export our pop music to Tokyo. Import also means to signify something. Is it of import to our economic security to have so many Japanese imports on our roads? The origins of the word import are literally "to bring into port." The ratio of imports to exports is a big indicator of the health of a nation's economy. The word import can also refer to attitudes or behaviors that come as part of the culture of a place. "New York media is dominated by British journalists who have imported the snarky style of gossip reporting famous in London."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

import imports imported importing

Workers have also been asked to halt production at oil refineries, and France is expected to import more electricity than it produces on Thursday because of disruption at nuclear plants.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

In terms of Dante-esque forewarnings, however, the U.K. import “It Gets Worse” gets right to the point, and humorously so.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

Mild weather following the Chuseok holiday likely helped stabilize agricultural prices, while a stronger won may have eased upward pressure on import prices, Meritz Securities chief economist Seunghoon Stephen Lee said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

"The environment is far from getting ready to industrialise," he said, citing unreliable energy supplies, foreign-exchange constraints and recurring import shortages.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

“Maybe we should import a new group of scientists,” Cara says, sighing.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

Numerous qualifying food imports — including coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes and beef — are exempt from tariffs.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Asked about Turkey's continuing reliance on coal, Bayraktar told AFP in February that Ankara prioritised securing affordable energy supplies and reducing dependence on imports.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

This can help rein in inflation by making imports cheaper.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Sudan imports most of its wheat, making prices vulnerable to the deterioration of the local currency.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

“I mean, hers isn’t twelve feet tall. But she imports stuff...from China. We’re Chinese.”

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

However, consumer goods — the broad category containing many imported manufactured products — recorded a much smaller increase.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

He argued there was a "rational" case for further exploration if the project's carbon emissions was lower than using imported fuel.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Coal-fired power plants accounted for 33.5 percent of Turkey's electricity production in 2025, energy ministry figures show, with Ember saying almost two-thirds of its coal was imported.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

While much of that money is spent on imported chips, the boom is also creating plenty of construction jobs in the U.S. as developers race to build server farms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The heads on the wall observe with eyes of imported glass.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Growers cannot easily redirect fruit to alternative markets because importing countries have different phytosanitary requirements and consumer preferences, said Gerrit van der Merwe, the association's chairman.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Under the deal, the potentially significant cost of importing millions of barrels of those blending materials is not included in the price.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

To ease the crisis, Russia began importing gasoline from as far away as India—an ironic move for one of the world’s biggest crude producers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

"We get none of the value chain, we are just importing tools from someone else and we become just a user."

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

“Just a way of speaking,” said Lina, who knew more about her husband’s importing concern that she’d been letting on.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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