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

Automakers have hit the skids because of the Middle East conflict pushing up raw materials costs and snarling up shipping routes, as well as US import tariffs and Chinese rivals gaining market share.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

China is mostly mentioned in agribusiness over concerns about farmland ownership or import commitments on soybeans and beef.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

“However, higher oil and nonoil import prices are likely to weigh on the trade balance, resulting in a smaller net contribution from external demand to overall GDP growth,” ING added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

"Australia's import requirements for dogs are based on biosecurity risk, not the intended use of the animal," Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry told a Senate inquiry in June.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

In their circle, it was held to be no disgrace to import goods illegally, but rather sharp practice was accounted a sign of canny business acumen.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Japan also faces a decades-long slide in its working-age population, low productivity and a heavy reliance on energy imports that are priced in US dollars.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

The imports increased solar’s share in the mix that Ember tracks, Fulghum wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

The US plan could turn Croatia into a major transit point for fuel imports, including oil, beyond the Balkans into other parts of Europe.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

The US now supplies about two-thirds of Europe's gas imports, up from roughly a quarter in 2021, according to energy analysts at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

It remained dependent on imports of food and iron from Norway, and of timber from the Labrador coast.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

The company is counting on a 25% tariff on imported appliances to force its foreign competitors to raise prices, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Officials have linked this year's widespread outbreak to lettuce imported from Taylor Farms in Mexico, a key supplier for many food establishments in the US.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Rather, the fuel — overwhelmingly purchased legally in the United States — arrives at seaports and border crossings via ships, trains and trucks, part of the daily deluge of imported hydrocarbons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

If the Strait of Hormuz remains impaired and China continues restricting phosphate exports, nitrogen producers with secure, low-cost inputs should remain better positioned than phosphate producers dependent on imported sulfur.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

Anyone who was anyone in Europe had a wind band, or piffari, often imported from Germany, at their court.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Ferguson said Boeing's model of building with regional partners was intended to give countries greater control over the capability rather than simply importing a US system.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Eugene Kim designed the interior of the spa, importing nearly all the materials and most of the furniture from Korea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Without Russian diesel, importing countries have turned in large part to U.S. diesel, which has helped push U.S. domestic prices higher, Mills said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

"For anybody importing goods the scenario changes completely in terms of the paperwork that one is going to have to present to get the goods in," he says.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

So when More invented the term ‘mechanical philosophy’ he was playing his part in importing the new terminology into English.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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