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Synonyms

impose

American

[im-pohz] / ɪmˈpoʊz /

verb (used with object)

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

to impose taxes.
to put or set by or as if by authority.

to impose one's personal preference on others.
to obtrude or thrust (oneself, one's company, etc.) upon others.

Synonyms:

foist, force
to pass or palm off fraudulently or deceptively.

He imposed his pretentious books on the public.
Printing. to lay (type pages, plates, etc.) in proper order on an imposing stone or the like and secure in a chase for printing.
to lay on or inflict, as a penalty.
Archaic. to put or place on something, or in a particular place.
Obsolete. to lay on (the hands) ceremonially, as in confirmation or ordination.

verb (used without object)

to make an impression on the mind; impose one's or its authority or influence.
to obtrude oneself or one's requirements, as upon others.

Are you sure my request doesn't impose?
to presume, as upon patience or good nature.

verb phrase

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

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

to impose a tax on the people
to force (oneself, one's presence, etc) on another or others; obtrude
(intr) to take advantage, as of a person or quality

to impose on someone's kindness
(tr) printing to arrange pages so that after printing and folding the pages will be in the correct order
(tr) to pass off deceptively; foist

to impose a hoax on someone
(tr) (of a bishop or priest) to lay (the hands) on the head of a candidate for certain sacraments

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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."

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Vocabulary lists containing impose

The Declaration of Independence

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List 2

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"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

impose imposes imposed imposing

Perhaps the most fundamental authority of Congress is its “power of the purse”—the exclusive power conveyed by Article 1 of the Constitution to both impose taxes and control the expenditure of federal money.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

“For a system that believes it is fighting for survival…existential threats tend to harden resolve, not impose a price ceiling on resistance.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

If there is a mortgage, lenders generally require insurance to remain active and may impose costly force-placed insurance if coverage lapses.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

If the district does not follow through with budget cuts, county education officials will take charge and impose them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Again, I said that they must furnish evidence if they were going to impose any penalties.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

These numbers don’t include the fiscal burden that the National Health Service imposes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Our system imposes that experience over 2 million times each year.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

Indonesia and Singapore vowed on Monday that the Strait of Malacca, a critical oil transit chokepoint in the region, will remain "accessible" even as Iran imposes fees on ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

If the administration imposes a new rule closer to the election, Logan said his office is ready to follow the law.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

I told the Court that the United States is the only country in the world that imposes life imprisonment without parole sentences on children.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

A fee imposed on a large retailer is very different from one imposed on a tiny shop or informal trader.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Washington similarly tried to force Iran’s hand earlier in the war when it imposed the naval blockade just days after reaching a fragile ceasefire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Reduced tariffs were also imposed on drones from select countries, including Japan and the United Kingdom.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

The show promises to teach Americans how to eat “real food,” presenting recognizable ingredients and home cooking as an antidote to a processed-food culture portrayed as artificial, addictive and imposed from above.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

More than once he had fought alone and imposed his will on crowds of other rabbits.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

The government had previously said any extension would depend on the plant meeting all required safety standards and not imposing additional costs on taxpayers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

But that was us imposing our desired arc, which we all know doesn’t work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

A woman has criticised Anglian Water for imposing a hosepipe ban while not fixing a water leak that she had reported "weeks ago".

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

And what if the worst happened, and the U.S. government actually ended up imposing any official “haircut” on Treasury bonds, paying out less than 100 cents on the dollar even in nominal terms?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

But there were a couple of tall streetlamps, which made the space seem imposing, especially this late at night.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023