import
IM-port
/ˈɪmpɔːrt/
To bring goods or services into a country from abroad for sale.
Can also mean 'significance' in a literary context (e.g., 'a matter of great import'), but in business, it is strictly about trade.
The story behind the word. Derived from the Latin 'importare', meaning 'to bring in' or 'convey'. It originally referred to bringing goods into a harbor or 'port'.
Word relationships
- bring in: Much more casual and less precise than 'import'.
- export: Sending goods out rather than bringing them in.
Commonly confused with
- input: Input is usually data or resources used in a process; import is a finished or raw good from another country.
Word family
- importer (noun): A person or company that brings goods in from abroad.
- importation (noun): The act of importing.
Collocations
- import duty
- import quota
- cheap imports
Example sentences
- "The government decided to import more grain to prevent a food shortage." Trade policy
- "It is the maxim of every prudent master of a family, never to attempt to make at home what it will cost him more to make than to buy... If a foreign country can supply us with a commodity cheaper than we ourselves can make it, better buy it of them with some part of the produce of our own industry." Classical Economics
Memory hook
Think of the 'Im' in 'Incoming'. Goods are coming into the country. Im = In.
When not to use
Avoid using it for digital downloads unless referring to the technical process of bringing data into a software program.
Fun facts
- The United States is the world's largest importer, bringing in over $3 trillion worth of goods annually.
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