import

"Import" has a few closely related meanings. Most often, it means bringing goods or services into a country from another country, like coffee beans brought in from Brazil. It can also mean bringing something in from another place or source, such as data into a computer program or an idea into a discussion. As a noun, "import" can mean the meaning or importance of something. In short, it often suggests something coming in, and sometimes it points to why that thing matters.

For example, a shop might import fine tea from abroad, a designer might import images into a project, and a speech might have a deeper import than it seems at first.

The word "import" is surprisingly versatile, with meanings that stretch beyond just international trade. At its core, it means to bring something in—whether physically or conceptually.

Most people first think of importing as a commercial activity: bringing goods and services from other countries into one's own country for sale. For instance, "The U.S. imports a lot of oil from Canada." This usage is centered on economic exchange.

However, "import" also functions as a verb meaning to bring in something from another source in a more general way. You might import data into a spreadsheet, import photos into an editing app, or import ideas and styles into your own work. In these cases, the word still carries the same basic sense of something being brought in from outside.

But there's yet another layer! "Import" can also be a noun referring to the meaning or importance of something. When we say something has "great import," we mean it is significant, or that it matters a great deal. In other contexts, "the import of his words" means the meaning or effect of what he said. For example: "The decision had far-reaching import for the future of the company."

So, whether you're talking about trade, files, ideas, or the meaning of an event, "import" is a word about what comes in and why it matters.