import
import Lexical Profile
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• noun
A commodity, article, or service brought in from abroad for sale, or the action of bringing such goods into a country.
"The country relies heavily on agricultural imports during the winter months."
The implicit or explicit meaning of a word, statement, or action.
"It took several moments for the full import of her announcement to register with the audience."
Great significance, weight, or importance.
"The committee gathered to discuss matters of national import."
• verb
To bring goods, commodities, or services into a country from abroad for sale or use.
"The bakery imports specialty flour and olive oil directly from Italy."
To transfer data, files, or settings into a computer program or system from an external source or different format.
"You can easily import your existing contacts and calendar events into the new application."
To indicate, signify, or imply a particular meaning or consequence (used in formal contexts).
"The clauses in the treaty import a mutual obligation to share environmental research."
Word Nuance & Usage
Like many English noun-verb pairs, 'import' shifts its spoken stress based on part of speech: the noun is typically stressed on the first syllable (IM-port), whereas the verb is usually stressed on the second syllable (im-PORT).
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 15th century from Latin importare ('to bring in, convey, or imply'), formed from in- ('into') and portare ('to carry').