What does export mean?
Export functions primarily as both a verb and a noun in international trade. As a verb, it means to ship or sell goods and services produced in one country to buyers in another; as a noun, it denotes either the traded item itself ('coffee is a major export of Colombia') or the overall activity of selling abroad. The word carries no strong emotional connotation and appears constantly in economic, political, and journalistic contexts, from discussions of export earnings and tariffs to export controls on sensitive technology. In everyday computing, it also describes saving data in a different file format. Pronunciation differs subtly by role: the verb stresses the second syllable, while the noun stresses the first. Derived forms include exporter, exportable, and exportation. Because trade shapes economies and diplomacy alike, 'export' remains one of the most practical words in modern English vocabulary.
To send goods, services, or commodities from one country to another for trade or sale.
"Germany exports automobiles to nearly every continent."
Stressed on the second syllable: /ɪkˈspɔːt/.
A good or commodity sold to another country, or the activity or volume of such trade.
"Textiles were once the country's leading export."
Stressed on the first syllable: /ˈekspɔːt/. The plural 'exports' commonly refers to total trade volume.
In economic and journalistic writing, the plural 'exports' usually refers collectively to the total value or range of goods a country sells abroad, often contrasted with 'imports'.
"Exports rose sharply last quarter, narrowing the trade deficit."
Every export is also an import somewhere else — one country's outgoing shipment is always another's incoming cargo.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of export
Export derives from Latin exportare, formed from ex- ('out') plus portare ('to carry'), literally meaning 'to carry out'. The word entered English in the early 15th century via Latin usage in trade contexts. It shares its root with transport, portable, and import, all built on the same Latin verb portare.
Related word forms
How export is actually used
Note the stress shift between verb (/ɪkˈspɔːt/, stress on second syllable) and noun (/ˈekspɔːt/, stress on first syllable), a common pattern in English two-syllable noun–verb pairs. In economics and journalism, the plural 'exports' typically refers to total goods sold abroad. The word also has computing senses — exporting data or files to another format — which are standard in technical registers.
Easily confused with export
Import means to bring goods into a country from abroad, while export means to send goods out of one's own country to be sold elsewhere.