What does exportation mean?
Exportation refers to the act or process of sending goods, services, or commodities from one country to another for sale or trade. Derived from Latin roots meaning "to carry out," the word emphasizes the movement itself rather than the items moved. In everyday commerce, speakers usually prefer the shorter noun "export," leaving "exportation" to legal statutes, trade agreements, government reports, and academic writing, where its formality lends precision — for example, in phrases like "restrictions on the exportation of dual-use technology." Beyond physical merchandise, the term can extend figuratively or technically to the transfer of intangible things across borders, such as data, intellectual property, or cultural practices. Exportation sits naturally alongside its opposite, importation, and together the two words frame the basic vocabulary of international trade. Though somewhat stiff by modern standards, exportation remains a useful, precise term whenever the emphasis falls on the outward flow of goods rather than the products themselves.
nounThe action or process of selling and shipping goods or services to another country; the commercial activity of exporting.
- The act or process of sending goods or services from one country to another for sale or trade.
- (Less commonly, formal or legal use) The act of carrying or transmitting something out of a place, jurisdiction, or domain, as in the exportation of data or technology.
"The exportation of coffee accounts for nearly half of the nation's foreign earnings."
"The exportation of crude oil remains the backbone of the national economy."
"New legislation imposed strict limits on the exportation of cultural artifacts."
Rarely used in the plural; the singular mass noun is standard, though "exportations" may occasionally appear in historical or statistical texts referring to individual instances of exporting.
"The ledger recorded several exportations of grain during the famine year."
"Exportation" comes straight from Latin ex- (out) plus portare (to carry) — so every exported product is, quite literally, something carried out of a country's gates.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exportation
Exportation entered English in the early 17th century, borrowed from Latin exportatio, a derivative of the verb exportare, formed from ex- ("out") and portare ("to carry"). The same Latin root gave English not only the verb export but also cognates such as transport, portable, and deport, all built on the notion of carrying. Its sibling noun importation was formed in parallel, reflecting the two directions of trade.
How exportation is actually used
Exportation is a formal, somewhat heavy register; in everyday and business English, the simpler noun "export" (countable or uncountable) is far more common, with "exportation" typically reserved for legal, governmental, or academic contexts. It is almost always uncountable in modern usage.
Easily confused with exportation
Deportation is the forced removal of a person from a country, while exportation is the commercial shipment of goods out of a country.
Importation is the bringing of goods into a country, whereas exportation is the sending of goods out of it.