import

See also: Import

English

Pronunciation

Noun

Verb

Etymology 1

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”).

Noun

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[1], Atlanta, Ga.: Warner Bros. Discovery, archived from the original on 30 April 2026:
      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.
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • (antonym(s) of “practice of importing”): export
  • (antonym(s) of “something brought in from a foreign country”): export
  • insignificance
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

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?
Quotations
  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:import.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

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

Verb

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).
  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.
Translations

Noun

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.

References

Czech

Etymology

    Borrowed from English import.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): [ˈɪmport]

    Noun

    import m inan

    1. import
      Synonym: dovoz
      Antonyms: export, vývoz

    Declension

    Declension of import (hard masculine inanimate)
    singular plural
    nominative import importy
    genitive importu importů
    dative importu importům
    accusative import importy
    vocative importe importy
    locative importu importech
    instrumental importem importy

    Further reading

    Danish

    Etymology

    From English import.

    Noun

    import c (singular definite importen, plural indefinite importer)

    1. import
      Antonym: eksport

    Declension

    Declension of import
    common
    gender     		singular plural
    indefinite definite indefinite definite
    nominative import importen importer importerne
    genitive imports importens importers importernes

    Derived terms

    • importfirma
    • importkvote
    • importrestriktioner
    • importstop
    • importtilladelse
    • kulimport
    • kulturimport
    • olieimport
    • parallelimport
    • råvareimport
    • vinimport

    References

    Dutch

    Etymology

    Back-formed from importeren or borrowed from English import.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈɪm.pɔrt/
    • Audio:(file)
    • Hyphenation: im‧port

    Noun

    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

    Synonyms

    Antonyms

    Derived terms

    • importeur

    Descendants

    • → Indonesian: impor
    • → West Frisian: ymport

    French

    Etymology

      Deverbal from importer.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ɛ̃.pɔʁ/

      Noun

      import m (plural imports)

      1. import
        Coordinate term: export

      Derived terms

      Further reading

      Anagrams

      Hungarian

      Etymology

      Unadapted borrowing from English import.[1]

      Pronunciation

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

      Noun

      import (plural importok)

      1. import

      Declension

      Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
      singular plural
      nominative import importok
      accusative importot importokat
      dative importnak importoknak
      instrumental importtal importokkal
      causal-final importért importokért
      translative importtá importokká
      terminative importig importokig
      essive-formal importként importokként
      essive-modal — —
      inessive importban importokban
      superessive importon importokon
      adessive importnál importoknál
      illative importba importokba
      sublative importra importokra
      allative importhoz importokhoz
      elative importból importokból
      delative importról importokról
      ablative importtól importoktól
      non-attributive
      possessive – singular       		importé importoké
      non-attributive
      possessive – plural       		importéi importokéi
      Possessive forms of import
      possessor single possession multiple possessions
      1st person sing. importom importjaim
      2nd person sing. importod importjaid
      3rd person sing. importja importjai
      1st person plural importunk importjaink
      2nd person plural importotok importjaitok
      3rd person plural importjuk importjaik

      References

      1. ^ István Tótfalusi (2005), Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára [A Storehouse of Foreign Words: An Explanatory and Etymological Dictionary of Foreign Words], Budapest: Tinta, →ISBN

      Further reading

      • 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.

      Malay

      Alternative forms

      Etymology

        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”).

        Pronunciation

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

        Adjective

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

        1. being imported
          Antonym: eksport
          beras import ― imported rice

        Noun

        import (Jawi spelling ايمڤورت, plural import-import)

        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.

        Verb

        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.

        Derived terms

        Affixations

        Further reading

        Norwegian Bokmål

        Etymology

        From English or German.

        Pronunciation

        Noun

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

        1. import

        References

        Norwegian Nynorsk

        Etymology

        From English or German.

        Noun

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

        1. import

        References

        Polish

        Etymology

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

        Pronunciation

        • IPA(key): /ˈim.pɔrt/
        • Audio:(file)
        • Rhymes: -impɔrt
        • Syllabification: im‧port

        Noun

        import m inan

        1. (economics) import (act of importing)
          Antonym: eksport
        2. (economics) import (something brought in from a foreign country)
          Antonym: eksport

        Declension

        Declension of import
        singular
        nominative import
        genitive importu
        dative importowi
        accusative import
        instrumental importem
        locative imporcie
        vocative imporcie

        Derived terms

        adjectives
        noun
        • importochłonność
        verbs
        adjectives
        • importerski
        noun

        Further reading

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

        Romanian

        Etymology

        Etymology tree
        French importerbor.
        Romanian importabf.
        Romanian import

          Back-formation from importa.

          Noun

          import n (plural importuri)

          1. import

          Declension

          singular plural
          indefinite definite indefinite definite
          nominative-accusative import importul importuri importurile
          genitive-dative import importului importuri importurilor
          vocative importule importurilor

          Serbo-Croatian

          Etymology

          Borrowed from English import.

          Pronunciation

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

          Noun

          ìmport m inan (Cyrillic spelling ѝмпорт)

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

          Declension

          Declension of import
          singular plural
          nominative import importi
          genitive importa importa
          dative importu importima
          accusative import importe
          vocative importe importi
          locative importu importima
          instrumental importom importima

          References

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

          Swedish

          Noun

          import c

          1. import

          Declension

          Declension of import
          nominative genitive
          singular indefinite import imports
          definite importen importens
          plural indefinite — —
          definite — —

          Synonyms

          Antonyms

          Derived terms

          References

          This page is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.