CS Knowledge Base

Noun

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ĭmʹpôt, IPA^(key): /ˈɪm.pɔːt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) enPR: ĭmʹpôrt, IPA^(key): /ˈɪm.pɔɹt/
• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) enPR: ĭmʹpōrt, IPA^(key): /ˈɪm.po(ː)ɹt/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɪm.poət/

Verb

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ĭmpôtʹ, IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɔːt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) enPR: ĭmpôrtʹ, IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɔɹt/
  • (GenAm, etymology 1 also) enPR: ĭmʹpôrt, IPA^(key): /ˈɪm.pɔɹt/
• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) enPR: ĭmpōrtʹ, IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpo(ː)ɹt/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpoət/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)t

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”).

import (countable and uncountable, plural imports)

1. (countable) Something brought in from an exterior source, especially for sale or trade.
   • 2025 July 17, John Towfighi, “Copper prices have surged to record highs — and they could jump higher. Here’s why”, in CNN Business‎^[1]:

     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. (uncountable) The practice of importing.
3. (countable, Philippines) A foreigner playing in a sports league.

• (the practice of importing): importation
• (significance): importancy, importance, meaning, purport, significance, tenor, weight

• (antonym(s) of “practice of importing”): export
• (antonym(s) of “something brought in from a foreign country”): export
• insignificance

import (third-person singular simple present imports, present participle importing, simple past and past participle imported)

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

   Antonym: export

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

2. (transitive, computing) To load a file into a software application from another version or system.

   Antonym: export

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

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:import.

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

import (third-person singular simple present imports, present participle importing, simple past and past participle imported)

1. (intransitive) To be important; to be significant; to be of consequence.
   • 1661, Thomas Salusbury, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

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

2. (transitive) To be of importance to (someone or something).
   • 1593, Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost:

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

   • 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page number):

     If I endure it, what imports it you?

3. (transitive) To be incumbent on (someone to do something).
   • 1762, David Hume, The History of England:

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

4. (transitive) To be important or crucial to (that something happen).
   • 1819, Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Cenci:

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

5. (transitive) To mean, signify.
   • [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):

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

6. (transitive, archaic) To express, to imply.

import (plural imports)

1. (dated) The meaning of a term, statement, etc.
   • 1851, G. M. Heilner, The Grammar of the German Language:

     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. (uncountable) Significance, importance

   It was a matter of great import.

   • 2023 December 27, Christian Wolmar, “Hope springs eternal for greater use of the Channel Tunnel”, in RAIL, number 999, page 26:

     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.

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “import”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

Borrowed from English import.

• IPA^(key): [ˈɪmport]

import m inan

1. import

   Synonym: dovoz

   Antonyms: export, vývoz

• “import”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “import”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “import”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2026

From English import.

import c (singular definite importen, plural indefinite importer)

1. import

   Antonym: eksport

• importere
• importør

• “import” in Den Danske Ordbog

Back-formed from importeren or borrowed from English import.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪm.pɔrt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: im‧port

import m (plural importen, diminutive importje n)

1. geographical import
2. (Netherlands, collective) a person or people who is/are not native to a city, village or region, but moved there from outside

• (import): invoer

• (antonym(s) of “import”): export, uitvoer

• importeur

• → Indonesian: impor
• → West Frisian: ymport

Deverbal from importer.

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.pɔʁ/

import m (plural imports)

1. import

   Coordinate term: export

• import-export

• importation

• “import”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

• promit, promît, rompit, rompît

Unadapted borrowing from English import.^[1]

• IPA^(key): [ˈimport]
• Hyphenation: im‧port
• Rhymes: -ort

import (plural importok)

1. import

• import in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.

• impot (1924-1972)
• impor (Indonesia)

Borrowed from English import, 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”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈimpot/ [ˈʔim.pɔt̪̚]
• Rhymes: -pɔt, -ɔt
• Hyphenation: im‧port

import (Jawi spelling ايمڤورت, comparative lebih import, superlative paling import)

1. being imported

   Antonym: eksport

   beras import ― imported rice

import (Jawi spelling ايمڤورت, plural import-import or import²)

1. the action or process of importing; importation, import

   Antonym: eksport

   Import mengatasi eksport di negara ini.

   The import tops the export in this country.

import (Jawi spelling ايمڤورت, active mengimport, third-person passive diimport)

1. (transitive) to import

   Antonym: eksport

   Produk ini telah diimport dari China.

   This product was imported from China.

• "import" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017

From English or German.

import m (definite singular importen, indefinite plural importer, definite plural importene)

1. import

• importere

• “import” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From English or German.

import m (definite singular importen, indefinite plural importar, definite plural importane)

1. import

• “import” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Borrowed from English import, from Middle English importen, from Old French emporter, importer, from Latin importō.

• IPA^(key): /ˈim.pɔrt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -impɔrt
• Syllabification: im‧port

import m inan

1. (economics) import (act of importing)

   Antonym: eksport

2. (economics) import (something brought in from a foreign country)

   Antonym: eksport

• “import”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[2] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “import”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[3] (in Polish)

Back-formation from importa

import n (plural importuri)

1. import

Borrowed from English import.

• IPA^(key): /ǐmport/
• Hyphenation: i‧mport

ìmport m inan (Cyrillic spelling ѝмпорт)

1. import (practice of importing)
2. an import (something brought in from a foreign country)

• “import”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

import c

1. import

• införsel

• export

• importförbud
• importtillstånd
• importtull

• importera

• “import”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “import”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “import”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)