Wordiyoimport
Definitions
To bring goods or services into a country from abroad; to load or transfer data from another source or system.
从国外引进商品或服务；从另一个来源或系统导入数据。
A product or commodity brought in from a foreign country; the act of importing; (formal) significance or meaning.
进口商品；进口行为；（正式）重要性，含义。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedim- (into, a variant of in- before 'p') + port (carry) = carry into. To 'import' is to carry goods into a country — bringing products inward from foreign sources. Note: im- here means 'into', not 'not'.
Why It Means This
The word 'import' literally means to carry something in. In trade, it describes bringing goods from a foreign country into your own. Beyond trade, 'import' also carries a formal meaning of significance or consequence ('a matter of great import'). In technology, importing means loading data from an external source into your current system.
Usage Guide
Stress shifts by part of speech: as a verb, stress the second syllable (im-PORT: 'We import rice'); as a noun, stress the first syllable (IM-port: 'Rice is a major import'). Common patterns: 'import from' (a country or source), 'import into' (a system). In computing: 'import data', 'import a file'. The formal noun sense ('of great import') is literary and less common in everyday speech.
Example Sentences
- 1.
Japan imports most of its energy resources from overseas.
- 2.
You can import your contacts from a CSV file.
- 3.
The rising cost of imports has driven up domestic prices.
- 4.
This is a decision of great import for the entire industry.
Easily Confused
'Import' vs 'introduce': Both can mean bringing something in, but 'import' specifically refers to bringing goods from abroad or data from another system, while 'introduce' means to present something new for the first time. You import goods but introduce a new policy.
Synonym Comparison
- bring in — informal and broader; same idea but less specific
- introduce — to present something new, not necessarily from abroad