impose
Americanverb (used with object)
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to lay on or set as something to be borne, endured, obeyed, fulfilled, paid, etc..
to impose taxes.
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to put or set by or as if by authority.
to impose one's personal preference on others.
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to obtrude or thrust (oneself, one's company, etc.) upon others.
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to pass or palm off fraudulently or deceptively.
He imposed his pretentious books on the public.
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Printing. to lay (type pages, plates, etc.) in proper order on an imposing stone or the like and secure in a chase for printing.
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to lay on or inflict, as a penalty.
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Archaic. to put or place on something, or in a particular place.
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Obsolete. to lay on (the hands) ceremonially, as in confirmation or ordination.
verb (used without object)
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to make an impression on the mind; impose one's or its authority or influence.
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to obtrude oneself or one's requirements, as upon others.
Are you sure my request doesn't impose?
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to presume, as upon patience or good nature.
verb phrase
verb
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(tr) to establish as something to be obeyed or complied with; enforce
to impose a tax on the people
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to force (oneself, one's presence, etc) on another or others; obtrude
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(intr) to take advantage, as of a person or quality
to impose on someone's kindness
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(tr) printing to arrange pages so that after printing and folding the pages will be in the correct order
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(tr) to pass off deceptively; foist
to impose a hoax on someone
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(tr) (of a bishop or priest) to lay (the hands) on the head of a candidate for certain sacraments
Other Word Forms
- imposable adjective
- imposer noun
- overimpose verb (used with object)
- preimpose verb (used with object)
- reimpose verb
Etymology
Origin of impose
First recorded in 1475–85; late Middle English, from Middle French imposer, equivalent to im- im- 1 + poser “to stop, cease”; pose 1; pose 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The fast pace of the program’s development worried Western powers who imposed increasingly stringent trade restrictions.
Society imposes an array of restrictions on girls at an early age, many of them learned through media consumption.
From Salon
The suit seeks a court order that would require California to monitor on-campus antisemitism, eliminate antisemitic curricula and impose limits on funding for schools that fail to enforce nondiscrimination policies.
From Los Angeles Times
Many states are threatening to impose restrictions on data centers unless they build their own power sources.
The report added that retaliatory tariffs imposed by Canada on certain goods might have also prompted a shift away from U.S. products—although Prime Minister Mark Carney dropped most of those duties in late August.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
