Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To bring or carry in from an outside source, especially to bring in (goods or materials) from a foreign country for trade or sale.
  • transitive verb Computers To receive (data) into one program from another.
  • transitive verb To carry or hold the meaning of; signify.
  • transitive verb To express or make known.
  • transitive verb To betoken or indicate.
  • noun Something imported.
  • noun The act or occupation of importing goods or materials.
  • noun Meaning; signification.
  • noun Importance; significance: synonym: importance.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To bring from without; introduce from abroad; especially, to bring from a foreign country, or from another state, into one's own country or state: opposed to export: as, to import wares and merchandise.
  • Hence To bring or introduce from one use, connection, or relation into another: as, to import irrelevant matter into a discussion.
  • To bear or convey in meaning or implication; signify; mean; denote; betoken.
  • To be of importance, interest, or consequence to; concern; have a bearing upon.
  • To have significance; be of importance.
  • noun That which is imported or brought from without or from abroad; especially, merchandise brought into one country from another: usually in the plural: opposed to export.
  • noun The intrinsic meaning conveyed by anything; the significance borne by, or the interpretation to be drawn from, an event, action, speech, writing, or the like; purport; bearing: as, the import of one's conduct.
  • noun Importance; consequence; moment.
  • noun Synonyms Sense, gist, tenor, substance.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To signify; to purport; to be of moment.
  • noun Merchandise imported, or brought into a country from without its boundaries; -- generally in the plural, opposed to exports.
  • noun That which a word, phrase, or document contains as its signification or intention or interpretation of a word, action, event, and the like.
  • noun Importance; weight; consequence.
  • transitive verb To bring in from abroad; to introduce from without; especially, to bring (wares or merchandise) into a place or country from a foreign country, in the transactions of commerce; -- opposed to export.
  • transitive verb To carry or include, as meaning or intention; to imply; to signify.
  • transitive verb To be of importance or consequence to; to have a bearing on; to concern.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive To be important; to be significant; to be of consequence.
  • verb transitive To be of importance to (someone or something).
  • verb transitive To be incumbent on (someone to do something).
  • verb transitive To be important or crucial to (that something happen).
  • noun countable Something brought in from an exterior source, especially for sale or trade.
  • noun uncountable The practice of importing.
  • noun uncountable Significance, importance.
  • verb transitive To bring (something) in from a foreign country, especially for sale or trade.
  • verb transitive To load a file into a software application for use as a resource in a greater data file.
  • verb transitive To mean, signify
  • verb transitive, archaic To express, to imply.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun commodities (goods or services) bought from a foreign country
  • verb bring in from abroad
  • verb indicate or signify
  • verb transfer (electronic data) into a database or document
  • noun a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred
  • noun having important effects or influence
  • noun an imported person brought from a foreign country
  • noun the message that is intended or expressed or signified

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English importen, to convey a meaning, from Medieval Latin importāre and from Old French importer, to cause, both from Latin importāre, to carry in, cause : in-, in; see in– + portāre, to carry; see per- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

(verb) From Middle English importen, from Latin importō ("I bring in from abroad, import"), from in ("in, at, on; into") + portō ("I carry, bear; convey").

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Examples

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  • Well, that's not what I wanted!

    May 1, 2007