What does impose mean?
Impose means to put something into effect, especially a law, tax, penalty, condition, or requirement that someone must obey. The word is formal and commonly appears in government, legal, academic, and business contexts: authorities impose regulations, employers impose deadlines, and organizations impose standards. A second important use is impose something on someone, meaning to force a responsibility, opinion, or burden on that person. This sense often carries the implication that the thing imposed is unwelcome or intrusive. Although impose can simply mean to make a rule effective, it frequently suggests authority and, depending on context, an unwelcome burden. The verb has several related forms: imposed describes a rule or burden put into effect, imposing can describe an authoritative or striking presence, and imposition refers to the act of imposing something or the burden imposed.
verbTo put a rule, tax, penalty, condition, or requirement into effect, especially with authority. It can also mean to force something unwelcome on someone, as in imposing one's presence or views.
- To put a rule, tax, penalty, condition, or requirement into effect.
- To force or require something on a person or group.
- To place or settle something on another person or thing, especially by force or authority.
"The government imposed a new tax on imported goods."
"The council imposed strict limits on new construction."
"She did not want to impose her opinions on her friends."
From Latin for “put on,” impose began as a physical instruction and grew into a powerful political verb: imposing a law, tax, or burden.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does impose come from?
Impose comes through Medieval Latin from Latin imponere, a compound of in- “upon” and ponere “to put,” meaning “to put on” or “place upon.” In English, it developed from the general sense of placing or settling something onto another person or thing to the more specialized modern meanings of putting rules or burdens into effect. Its relatives include words based on Latin ponere, such as deposit, compose, oppose, and expose.
Related word forms
How impose is actually used
In its first sense, impose is usually formal and often describes the application of laws, taxes, penalties, or requirements. In the construction impose something on someone, it commonly means to burden or force something unwelcome upon that person.
Easily confused with impose
To impose a rule is to put it into effect, whereas to impose on someone is to burden that person with something unwelcome or demanding.
Impose means to make something obligatory or burdensome, while impress means to cause admiration or to mark something with a formal stamp.