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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

2 entries under this word

Import

Im-pōrt′, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. IMPORTED; p. pr. & vb. n. IMPORTING.] [Fr. importer, Sp. importar, It. & Lat. importare; prefix im, for in, and portare, to bear.]

  1. To bring in from abroad; to introduce from without; especially, to bring, as wares or merchandise from another State or country, in the transactions of commerce;—opposed to export. We import teas and silks from China, wines from Spain and France, and dry goods from Great Britain.
  2. To carry within, as meaning; to include, as signification or intention; to imply; to signify.

Every petition . . . doth . . . always import a multitude of speakers together. Hooker. 3. To be of importance or consequence to; to have a bearing on; to concern. I have a motion much imports your good. Shak. If I endure it, what imports it you? Dryden. Syn.—To denote; mean; signify; imply; interest; concern.

Ĭm'pōrt, n.

noun

n. 1. That which is imported, or brought in from abroad; merchandise introduced into a country from without its boundaries.

I take the imports from, and not the exports to, these conquests, as the measure of these advantages which we derived from them. Burke.

Sense 2. That which a word, phrase, or document contains as its signification or intention; purport; meaning; intention; intended significance; also, the intended application or interpretation of an action, of events, and the like.

Sense 3. Importance; weight; consequence. “Most serious design, and of great import too.” Shak.

What are we doing, a great part of us, but chasing the shows of our senses, and magnifying their import? Bushnell.