imposition

American  

[im-puh-zish-uhn] / ˌɪm pəˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

• impositions
  plural

1. the laying on of something as a burden or obligation.

2. something imposed, as a burden or duty; an unusual or extraordinarily burdensome requirement or task.

3. the act of imposing by or as if by authority.

4. an instance of imposing upon a person.

   He did the favor but considered the request an imposition.

5. the act of imposing fraudulently or deceptively on others; imposture.

6. the ceremonial laying on of hands, as in confirmation or ordination.

7. Printing. the arrangement of page plates in proper order on a press for printing a signature.

8. the act of putting, placing, or laying on.

---

imposition British  

/ ˌɪmpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of imposing

2. something that is imposed unfairly on someone

3. (in Britain) a task set as a school punishment

4. the arrangement of pages for printing so that the finished work will have its pages in the correct order

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonimposition
  noun
• preimposition
  noun
• reimposition
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• impositions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of imposition

1325–75; Middle English imposicioun < Late Latin impositiōn- (stem of impositiō ), equivalent to imposit ( us ) past participle of impōnere to place upon, impose ( im- im- ¹ + posi-, variant stem of pōnere to put + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Imposition means you force something — usually an unwanted burden — on someone else. If your friends invite themselves over for dinner the night before your big test, that's an imposition because you'll have to cook instead of studying. Imposition comes from the 14th century Old French word of the same spelling, meaning "the levying of taxes, a tax, duty." Taxes are a good way to remember the meaning of imposition. You never want to pay taxes — but you have no choice but to pay. It can be the same for other kinds of burdens: if something is an imposition, you don't want to do it, but you likely will have to.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

imposition impositions

"I think the family tax, the family farm imposition, was a mistake," the former Labour minister said, adding it "touched a nerve".

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

On aggregate, the imposition of the new levies appears “digestible,” Kavcic said, and will increase the effective U.S. tariff rate on Canadian goods to 7.5% from about 5%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

“The ballroom is literally an imposition between two branches of our government,” the architect David Scott Parker, who’s on the board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, fretted to the Times.

From Slate ● May 18, 2026

But in yet another sign that finding a compromise may prove difficult, Ejei said "we certainly do not accept imposition", in a video shared by the judiciary's Mizan Online website.

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

He had the courage to admit that a terrible wrong had been done to our country and people through the imposition of the system of apartheid.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

“Italy does not accept ultimatums or impositions from abroad regarding national security and border control,” said Meloni’s office.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

The film is lightning in a bottle, magic that only stands to have its smoke dispersed and mirrors cracked by the unnecessary impositions of the dreaded Hollywood sequel.

From Salon ● May 1, 2026

“We don’t want impositions on the Mercosur,” Lula said in a live broadcast on social media.

From Reuters ● Jul. 4, 2023

The impositions on daily life were such that it was easy to forget the reason these restrictions were imposed: the virus itself.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 31, 2022

Even the most ardent anticommunists among them regarded the oath as an uncomfortable reminder of the impositions on academic freedom they had suffered in their homelands.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• intrusion