impute

verb

im·​pute im-ˈpyüt 

imputed; imputing

transitive verb

1

: to lay the responsibility or blame for (something) often falsely or unjustly

The economic sins imputed to Tito had all been committed to a greater extent by the communist parties of neighbouring countries.

—Hugh Seton-Watson

2

: to credit or ascribe (something) to a person or a cause : attribute

our vices as well as our virtues have been imputed to bodily derangement

—B. N. Cardozo

imputability

im-ˌpyü-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

imputable

im-ˈpyü-tə-bəl 

adjective

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Put the Valuable Impute Into Your Vocabulary

Impute is a somewhat formal word that is used to suggest that someone or something has done or is guilty of something. It is similar in meaning to such words as ascribe and attribute, though it is more likely to suggest an association with something that brings discredit. When we impute something, we typically impute it to someone or something. You may also encounter the related noun imputation, which appears in such contexts as "I deny all your imputations of blame." Another sense of impute means "to calculate as a value or cost (as for taxation)," as in "impute a benefit from the use of the car."

Synonyms

• accredit
• ascribe
• attribute
• chalk up
• credit
• lay
• put down

Choose the Right Synonym for impute

ascribe, attribute, assign, impute, credit mean to lay something to the account of a person or thing.

ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

forged paintings formerly ascribed to masters

attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe, less definiteness than assign.

attributed to Rembrandt but possibly done by an associate

assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

assigned the bones to the Cretaceous period

impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

tried to impute sinister motives to my actions

credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation.

credited his teammates for his success

Examples of impute in a Sentence

people often impute his silence to unfriendliness and not to the shyness it really represents

Recent Examples on the Web

Countries with more transparent judicial processes do not, as a rule, take foreign citizens hostage in this manner, even though other countries might impute political motivations to charging decisions—as the Chinese have done in the case of Meng. —Chimène Keitner, Foreign Affairs, 25 Jan. 2019

The former president has repeatedly distanced himself from Project 2025 after relentless attacks from Democrats using some of the 900-page playbook’s more aggressive proposals to impute Trump’s agenda since many of the proposals were written by alumni of Trump’s White House. —Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, 30 July 2024

Refreshingly, Hill and Gaddy refrain from imputing motives to Putin. —Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2015

With its decision, the court has ruled that legal gun ownership can’t be used to impute unlawful intentions, a powerful assertion of gun rights in Florida. —Silas Morgan, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French imputer, from Latin imputare, from in- + putare to consider

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

impute

verb

im·​pute im-ˈpyüt 

imputed; imputing

: to give the blame or credit for to some person or cause

imputable

-ˈpyüt-ə-bəl 

adjective

Legal Definition

impute

transitive verb

im·​pute im-ˈpyüt 

imputed; imputing

1

: to consider or calculate as a value or cost (as for taxation)

broadly : to reckon as an actual thing

impute a benefit from the use of the car

2

in the civil law of Louisiana : to direct (payment) to principal or interest

3

: to attribute to a party especially because of responsibility for another

impute knowledge to his corporate superior

imputation

ˌim-pyə-ˈtā-shən 

noun