impose

American  

[im-pohz] / ɪmˈpoʊz /

verb (used with object)

imposed, imposing

1. to lay on or set as something to be borne, endured, obeyed, fulfilled, paid, etc..

   to impose taxes.

2. to put or set by or as if by authority.

   to impose one's personal preference on others.

3. to obtrude or thrust (oneself, one's company, etc.) upon others.

   Synonyms:

   foist, force

4. to pass or palm off fraudulently or deceptively.

   He imposed his pretentious books on the public.

5. Printing. to lay (type pages, plates, etc.) in proper order on an imposing stone or the like and secure in a chase for printing.

6. to lay on or inflict, as a penalty.

7. Archaic. to put or place on something, or in a particular place.

8. Obsolete. to lay on (the hands) ceremonially, as in confirmation or ordination.

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verb (used without object)

imposed, imposing

1. to make an impression on the mind; impose one's or its authority or influence.

2. to obtrude oneself or one's requirements, as upon others.

   Are you sure my request doesn't impose?

3. to presume, as upon patience or good nature.

verb phrase

1. impose on / upon

   1. to thrust oneself offensively upon others; intrude.

   2. to take unfair advantage of; misuse (influence, friendship, etc.).

   3. to defraud; cheat; deceive.

      A study recently showed the shocking number of confidence men that impose on the public.

impose British  

/ ɪmˈpəʊz /

verb

1. (tr) to establish as something to be obeyed or complied with; enforce

   to impose a tax on the people

2. to force (oneself, one's presence, etc) on another or others; obtrude

3. (intr) to take advantage, as of a person or quality

   to impose on someone's kindness

4. (tr) printing to arrange pages so that after printing and folding the pages will be in the correct order

5. (tr) to pass off deceptively; foist

   to impose a hoax on someone

6. (tr) (of a bishop or priest) to lay (the hands) on the head of a candidate for certain sacraments

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overimpose
  verb (used with object)
• imposable
  adjective
• imposer
  noun
• reimpose
  verb
• preimpose
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of impose

First recorded in 1475–85; late Middle English, from Middle French imposer, equivalent to im- im- ¹ + poser “to stop, cease”; pose ¹; pose ²

Explanation

To impose means to force or inflict something on someone else. If you want to impose your musical taste on your parents, play your tunes all day at top volume. The verb impose emerged in the 1580s, meaning "to lay on as a burden," which is very similar to the modern meaning. Governments often impose taxes, legal restrictions, and other burdensome things on citizens, for example. But you should remember what Confucius once wisely said: "Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire."

Example Sentences

The county currently has a base sales tax rate of 9.75%, and cities impose local taxes on top of that.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

Brussels is also expected to impose sovereignty criteria for public contracts in the cloud and AI sectors, and wants to force governments to undertake "sovereignty risk assessments" to identify European providers when needed.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

Authorities say up to 50 officials will be deployed to patrol neighbourhoods and impose the fines.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

But while Bedford expressed support for giving pilots more tools to see nearby aircraft, he maintained that the FAA wouldn’t impose its own mandate without action from Congress, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

Under federal sentencing guidelines, however, the sentencing judge was obligated to impose a fifty-five-year mandatory minimum sentence.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• appoint
• charge
• demand
• enforce
• establish
• foist
• force
• inflict
• institute
• introduce
• lay down
• levy
• order
• place
• promulgate
• put
• require