import

Everyday

1. (verb) To bring goods into a country from another country to sell. tree →
2. (noun) A product brought in from another country. tree →
3. (computing) To bring a file or data into a program. tree →
4. (formal, noun) Importance, as in «a matter of great import». tree →

In the lessons

In geography and business lessons: countries import and export goods; bananas are imported to the UK. In computing: import photos into a document. In maths, trade problems add up imports and exports. Phrases: import from, imports and exports.

Examples

• The UK imports bananas from the Caribbean. tree →
• Oil is one of the country's main imports. tree →
• Import the photos onto the laptop. tree →
• Many toys are imported from China. tree →
• The shop sells imported cheese. tree →
• This is a matter of great import, said the judge. tree →
• There are no olives in the Ebony Island, and those imported from here fetch a high price. tree →

Note

Stress: verb «im-PORT», noun «IM-port». Opposite: export. In maths, if a country imports more than it exports, it spends more than it earns from trade.