# import

/ˈɪmˌpɔɹt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/import
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. goods from abroad

noun · CEFR B1

a product or service brought into one country from another to be sold.

For teachers: a commodity, article, or service brought in from abroad for sale or trade.

- The shop sells a wide variety of luxury imports from Italy and France.
- The government recently introduced stricter tariffs on agricultural imports to protect domestic farmers from international competition.

### 2. importance

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

the meaning or importance of something.

For teachers: the significance or importance of something; the implicit meaning conveyed by a statement or event.

- It was a decision of great import for the future of the company.
- The full import of the judge's ruling only became clear after legal experts had time to review the written transcript.

### 3. to bring in goods

verb · CEFR B1

to buy or bring in products from another country.

For teachers: to bring goods or services into a country from abroad for sale. Transitive — requires a direct object.

- The company imports most of its raw materials from South America.
- By importing components rather than manufacturing them locally, the firm managed to reduce its overhead costs significantly during the first quarter.

### 4. computing

verb · CEFR B1

to bring information or a file into a computer program from a different place.

For teachers: to transfer data or files into a software application from an external source or a different format.

- You can easily import your old contacts into the new email app.
- The software allows users to import high-resolution images directly from their cameras without losing any metadata in the process.

## Examples

- The software makes the import of your old photos very easy.
- After you finish the data import, the spreadsheet will automatically update all the charts and tables.
- The system architecture supports the bulk import of legacy records, provided the source files adhere to the standardized schema defined in the technical documentation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.