noun
import
IHM-pawt
noun
1
A product or good brought into a country from abroad for sale.
"Cheap imports from overseas undercut local manufacturers."
verb
1
To bring goods into a country from abroad, especially for sale or trade.
"The company imports coffee beans directly from Colombia."
2
To bring data or a file into a software program from another source.
"You can import your contacts from a CSV file."
3
(formal) To be important or significant.
"It little imports what he thinks of the plan."
How to Use Import
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo bring something in from outside — whether goods from another country or data into a computer file.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
import goods
import duty
import a file
Word Forms
imported past tense, imported past tense, imports plural, imports plural, imports singular, imports singular
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Cheap _____ from overseas undercut local manufacturers.
Etymology
From Latin importo ("bring in from abroad"), from in- ("into") + porto ("to carry").