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Allin

import

nounverbverbnounattested in dialogue

  • United Kingdom//ˈɪm.pɔːt//
  • United States//ˈɪm.pɔɹt//
  • //ˈɪm.po(ː)ɹt//
  • //ˈɪm.poət//
  • //ˈɪm.pɔɹt//

Something brought in from an exterior source, especially for sale or trade.

noun

  1. 1

    Something brought in from an exterior source, especially for sale or trade.

    Trump’s July 8 announcement of a 50% tariff on copper imports beginning August 1 sent prices surging 13% in one day, up to a record high of $5.69 per pound.

  2. 2

    The practice of importing.

  3. 3

    A foreigner playing in a sports league.

Etymology

From Middle English importen, from Old French emporter, importer, from Latin importō (“bring in from abroad, import”, verb), from in (“in, at, on; into”) + portō (“to carry, bear; convey”).

verb

  1. 1

    To bring (something) in from a foreign country, especially for sale or trade.

    Nauru imports foods from Australia because phosphate mining destroyed land for farming.

  2. 2

    To load a file into a software application from another version or system.

    How can I import files from older versions of this application?

verb

  1. 1

    To be important; to be significant; to be of consequence.

    See how much it importeth to learn to take Time by the Fore-Top.

  2. 2

    To be of importance to (someone or something).

    This Letter is mistooke: it importeth none here: It is writ to laquenetta.

    If I endure it, what imports it you?

  3. 3

    To be incumbent on (someone to do something).

    It imports us to get all the aid and assistance we can.

  4. 4

    To be important or crucial to (that something happen).

    It much imports your house That all should be made clear.

  5. 5

    To mean, signify.

    Every petition […] doth […] always import a multitude of speakers together.

  6. 6

    archaicTo express, to imply.

Etymology

From Italian importare, and French importer, from Latin importō.

noun

  1. 1

    datedThe meaning of a term, statement, etc.

    The greater part of the English words derived from the Anglo-Saxon exist also in German, either with the same import— as 𝔉𝔢𝔲𝔢𝔯, fire; 𝔅𝔯𝔲𝔡𝔢𝔯, brother,— or with a kindred import, as 𝔏𝔲ſ𝔱 (pleasure), lust; ℌ𝔲𝔫𝔡 (dog), hound.

  2. 2

    Significance, importance

    It was a matter of great import.

    There is, too, a little mentioned aspect of the tunnel which contributes to its failings. You never see the sea while approaching it from either the British or French side. That takes away from the import of the journey - a historic link between Britain and the continent. Instead, it is just a tunnel.

Forms

plural
imports
past tense
imported
past participle
imported
present participle
importing
third person singular
imports
The neighbouring pagesAlphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.

Lexical content from Wiktionary, under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source entry · Data version 2026-08-23

Rank among the words of the OpenSubtitles 2018 corpus — film and television subtitles, so spoken rather than written usage (CC BY-SA 3.0).