impose

verb

im·​pose im-ˈpōz 

imposed; imposing

transitive verb

1

a

: to establish or apply by authority

impose a tax

impose new restrictions

impose penalties

b

: to establish or bring about as if by force

those limits imposed by our own inadequacies

—C. H. Plimpton

2

: to force into the company or on the attention of another

impose oneself on others

3

a

: place, set

b

: to arrange (type, pages, etc.) in the proper order for printing

4

: pass off

impose fake antiques on the public

intransitive verb

: to take unwarranted advantage of something

imposed on his good nature

imposer noun

Did you know?

The Latin imposui meant "put upon", and that meaning carried over into English in impose. A CEO may impose a new manager on one of the company's plants. A state may impose new taxes on luxury items or cigarettes, and the federal government sometimes imposes trade restrictions on another country to punish it. A polite apology might begin with "I hope I'm not imposing on you" (that is, "forcing my presence on you"). And a self-imposed deadline is one that you decide to hold yourself to.

Synonyms

• assess
• charge
• exact
• fine
• lay
• levy
• put

Examples of impose in a Sentence

The judge imposed a life sentence.

I needed to break free from the limits imposed by my own fear of failure.

Recent Examples on the Web

In that case, West Virginia challenged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s authority to impose regulations to effectively control the state's energy policy through the Clean Power Plan. —Zoltan Istvan, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025

Both armies have a small industry devoted to ‘hacking’ the drones, modifying the firmware to get around limitations imposed by the makers and prevent them from being tracked. —David Hambling, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025

After deliberating for parts of three days during the punishment phase of the trial, some jurors told the Tribune the decision to impose the death penalty had been a difficult one. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025

Yesterday, a Manhattan federal judge barred the U.S. Department of Transportation from retaliating against the MTA over its decision to continue imposing congestion pricing tolls, despite a federal directive to shut down the program. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 28 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French imposer, from Latin imponere, literally, to put upon (perfect indicative imposui), from in- + ponere to put — more at position

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing impose

• impose one's will

Rhymes for impose

• aloes
• arose
• bedclothes
• bestows
• boroughs
• buboes
• cargoes
• cocos
• compose
• crossbows
• demos
• depose

Kids Definition

impose

verb

im·​pose im-ˈpōz 

imposed; imposing

1

a

: to establish or apply as a charge or penalty

impose a fine

impose a tax

b

: to force somebody to accept or put up with

impose one's will on another

2

: to take unfair advantage

impose on a friend's good nature

imposer noun