What does exporting mean?
Exporting is the practice of sending goods, services, or information from one country to another, typically for commercial purposes. As the present participle and gerund of the verb 'export,' it describes both an ongoing activity ('the nation is exporting more steel than ever') and the general concept ('exporting remains vital to the economy'). The word also has a well-established place in computing, where exporting means transferring data from one program, file format, or system to another. Economically, exporting is often viewed positively — a sign of national competitiveness and a source of foreign revenue — though it can also feature in debates about trade balances and tariffs. Derived from Latin roots meaning simply 'to carry out,' the term neatly captures its own meaning: whatever crosses a border or leaves a system, it has been carried out.
The commercial activity or industry of sending goods and services to other countries.
"Exporting accounts for nearly a third of the company's annual revenue."
Often used with modifiers such as 'oil exporting' or 'arms exporting.'
Present participle of export; the act of sending goods, services, or data out of a country or system.
"The firm is currently exporting ceramics to over forty countries."
Every time you say 'export,' you're speaking Latin — 'ex' (out) plus 'portare' (to carry), the same root that gives us 'portable' and even the word 'port' itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exporting
Exporting derives from the verb 'export,' which English adopted in the early 17th century from Latin 'exportare,' formed from 'ex-' (out) and 'portare' (to carry). The same Latin verb gave rise to cognates across Romance languages, such as French 'exporter' and Spanish 'exportar.' The root 'portare' is remarkably productive in English, underlying words like 'portable,' 'transport,' 'deport,' and 'import.' The gerund form 'exporting' followed naturally once the verb was established, appearing in trade contexts from at least the seventeenth century onward.
Related word forms
How exporting is actually used
Neutral register used freely in both business and everyday contexts. In computing, 'exporting' refers to saving data in a different format or application. The stress falls on the second syllable when it is the verb form; note that the noun 'export' can take first-syllable stress in British English, but 'exporting' always carries stress on '-port-'.
Easily confused with exporting
Importing brings goods into a country, while exporting sends them out of it.