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

Etymology

Origin of import

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

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

Higher oil prices are also expected to widen the deficit by raising import costs, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Then this month, Canada struck again with a 50% import duty on the company’s products as part of a wide-ranging response to heightened U.S. tariffs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Until recently, Africa's largest crude oil producer had no refining capacity and had to import the finished product.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Retail sales rose a bigger-than-expected 1.2% for August, and import prices for the month rose 0.7%, which was higher than forecast.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

This is the import of the history all around us, though very few people like to think about it.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

A large share of this tax bill comes on imports from Canada, which exports about $40 billion in goods to Michigan every year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Iran imports industrial machinery, electronics and automotive spare parts from China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Its strategic petroleum reserves hold only 9-10 days of net oil imports, compared with roughly 200 days in Japan and 207 in South Korea.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Moldova has sharply reduced its dependence on Russian energy following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, instead relying on imports from the European Union.

From Barron's

The invigorating newness of Mussorgsky, whose art, thought Debussy, was 'free from artifice and arid formulae’, was but one of the extraordinarily fruitful imports to the Exposition Universelle.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

By comparison, Iraq and Kuwait are more reliant on imported equipment and international oil-field service providers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Most of the ants were imported from the US, while some came from Thailand, the ministry said.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

When investigators inspected Enbody in 2025, they found ingredients imported from Chinese suppliers that weren’t registered with the FDA, including a box labeled retatrutide, public records show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

In 1767, Bowen received a British patent for his method of producing soy sauce, a fermented condiment resembling the soy sauce already imported from Asia.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

The furniture was imported from abroad, along with all the other comforts—silverware, silk-covered chairs, white christening gowns, porcelain washing bowls.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson

At times, Laos has struggled to provide power to its neighbours and finds itself importing energy, at significant cost, according to a recent World Bank report.

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026

Advocates say importing the VAT to the U.S. would produce a revenue bonanza.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

"The government in the UK told the industry 'we're not going to put any restrictions on importing PCBs'," said Ashby.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Coal offers a clear example: Over 1995-2024, Indonesia reported $46.2 billion less in coal exports than its partners reported importing, with Indonesia’s figure declining every year, Goldman said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 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

Related Words

• value
• worth