1
as in weighing
to be of importance
it imports little whether you like Grandma's gift; you should have graciously thanked her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in meaning
to communicate or convey (as an idea) to the mind
the word "freedom" can import different things to different people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of importing
Rather than importing external models, successful strategies are built around local conditions, including regulatory differences, mobile-first usage patterns, and informal economic structures.
—
Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Washington has effectively barred Chinese carmakers from importing to the US market, citing concerns around national security and the need to protect American carmakers from rivals that have benefited from the Chinese government’s long-term support for its EV sector.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
This pattern — importing one register to illuminate another — winds its way through Robinson’s catalog.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The state is also heavily reliant on electric power imports, importing 62,157 gigawatt hours of power in 2024 with 15 percent of those imports coming from nuclear power plants in other states.
—Paige Lambermont, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2026
In Nigeria, Africa’s top crude oil exporter, Dangote’s refinery — the continent’s largest — has become a central player in the domestic energy market since coming on stream in 2024, reducing the country’s decades-old dependence on importing refined fuels.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
While the blockade against Iran has delivered a severe blow to its economy, including stopping freighters from importing various supplies, the country has still been able to move some of its sanctioned oil, ship tracking companies say.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
Swedish maker Volvo stopped importing its S60 and S90 sedans in 2025.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Despite what the Internet says about sedans, people who buy new cars don’t like them anymore, and Ioniq 6 sales were so disappointing that Hyundai won’t bother importing any more aside from the spicy Ioniq 6 N that’s due soon.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2026
Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Washington has effectively barred Chinese carmakers from importing to the US market, citing concerns around national security and the need to protect American carmakers from rivals that have benefited from the Chinese government’s long-term support for its EV sector.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
This pattern — importing one register to illuminate another — winds its way through Robinson’s catalog.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The state is also heavily reliant on electric power imports, importing 62,157 gigawatt hours of power in 2024 with 15 percent of those imports coming from nuclear power plants in other states.
—Paige Lambermont, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2026
In Nigeria, Africa’s top crude oil exporter, Dangote’s refinery — the continent’s largest — has become a central player in the domestic energy market since coming on stream in 2024, reducing the country’s decades-old dependence on importing refined fuels.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
While the blockade against Iran has delivered a severe blow to its economy, including stopping freighters from importing various supplies, the country has still been able to move some of its sanctioned oil, ship tracking companies say.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
Swedish maker Volvo stopped importing its S60 and S90 sedans in 2025.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Despite what the Internet says about sedans, people who buy new cars don’t like them anymore, and Ioniq 6 sales were so disappointing that Hyundai won’t bother importing any more aside from the spicy Ioniq 6 N that’s due soon.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for importing
Verb
-
Sam Houston, weighing 285 pounds and standing 3 feet tall, is the seventh calf born at the zoo, staff said in a news release Wednesday.—
Harriet Ramos
May 7,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
-
Sulfate-free formulas and ingredients like aloe vera, hydrolyzed proteins, shea butter, and lightweight oils boost moisture without weighing strands down.—
Aimee Simeon,
Glamour,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Last month, Maine and Oregon passed legislation to decouple from the federal QSBS exemption, meaning that taxpayers will have to pay state income taxes on startup exits.—
Hayley Cuccinello,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
-
The general fund increased by about $212 million compared to last year, which is less than the rising costs in Medicaid alone — meaning the state had to cut specific programs within Medicaid and elsewhere to make up the difference.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Lajos’s transparent skin, initially so intriguing, does not end up mattering or meaning anything.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
-
Lajos’s transparent skin, initially so intriguing, does not end up mattering or meaning anything.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The hospitalization estimates are equally absurd, implying that one in 18 additional Americans would have required hospitalization for COVID from December 2020–November 2022.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
But the majority of analysts have only a hold rating, with a price target implying shares will pull back about 7% over the next year, according to LSEG.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At our wedding, my husband and I stood under a chuppah—a wedding canopy signifying the new home a Jewish couple will create together—that my mom crafted from a lace tablecloth her grandmother had sewn.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
-
Though embedded in society, these young characters are Kaspar Hauser-like figures, spectrally isolated from the signifying world, forced to construct meaning for themselves, from the ground up.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The new jet also features 13 stars denoting the 13 original colonies on its fuselage, the main body of an aircraft, and a circle of stars on each engine cowling, or covering, reflecting the original Betsy Ross flag and an America250 decal on the nose and winglet.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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But our understanding of pedantry, denoting the sticklerishness of academic specialists and grammar obsessives, is a relatively narrow one.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors say that Allen tried to storm the dinner − where Vice President JD Vance and others from the administration were also in attendance − with multiple guns and knives, intending to kill high-ranking officials.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
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From Stoll's perspective, Howard wasn't intending to kill his lover.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Importing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/importing. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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