What does import mean?
Import is a word used both as a noun and a verb. As a noun, it can refer to the act of bringing goods, services, or products into a country, or to the goods or services themselves. As a verb, it means to bring in products or, more figuratively, to introduce an idea, method, or practice from another place or context. The word is especially common in international trade, where it forms established combinations such as import goods, import duties, and import and export. It can also carry the broader implication of bringing something from outside into a local or familiar setting. Although import has a verb form and commonly describes a commercial activity, it is not a word whose meaning is limited to commerce: writers and speakers often use it when describing the transfer of cultural practices, knowledge, or creative ideas. Its counterpart, export, describes movement in the opposite direction.
A good, service, or product brought into a country from another country, or the act of bringing such goods or services in.
"The shop specializes in the import of rare books."
The singular can refer to the act of importing, while plural forms commonly refer to imported goods or commodities.
To bring goods, services, or products into a country, or to introduce an idea, practice, or product from another place or context.
"The company imports coffee beans from Colombia."
The verb is transitive and is used with goods, services, products, ideas, and practices.
The plural is standard for goods or products brought into a country and, in some contexts, for the business or activity of importing.
"The port handles imports from across the Atlantic."
Import and export are mirror-image words: one brings things in, while the other sends them out, and both trace back to the Latin verb portare, “to carry.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does import come from?
The English word import comes from Latin importare, a compound of in- (“in”) and portare (“to carry”). The verb was used in commerce for bringing goods into a country and later developed broader figurative meanings, such as introducing an idea or practice. English export was formed in a parallel way from ex- (“out”) and portare, and related words such as portable, transport, and report ultimately share the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How import is actually used
In trade, import commonly refers to goods purchased from another country, while import in the sense of introducing an idea or practice is often used figuratively. The pronunciation distinguishes the US ending /ɔːrt/ from the British ending /ɔːt/.
Easily confused with import
Import means to bring goods, services, or ideas into a country or place, whereas export means to send them out to another country or place.
Import refers to bringing in goods or introducing something, while important means having great significance, value, or influence.