noun / verb
import
im-PORT/ˌɪmpˈɔrt/
Something brought in from an outside country or system.
Boxes of imports move from a foreign freighter into the warehouse.
Etymology
The pieces mean “carry into,” matching the Latin sense of bringing something in from abroad. Bringing goods into a country or data into a system shares that inward direction.
In context
England tried to import a scion of the Newtown Pippin, but its climate proved challenging for the pippin to grow, so people had to resort to importing individual Newtown Pippins from America.
More examples
- The store imports olive oil from Italy.
- You can import contacts from a file into the app.
- This teaching method is an import from another school system.
Forms
import · imports · imported · importing
importer noun — Person or business bringing goods from abroad.
importation noun — The act of bringing goods from abroad.
Similar words
- bring in
- Broader phrase for moving things inward, not necessarily across borders.
- introduce
- Emphasizes bringing something new into a place or situation.