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

The bill imposes strict limits on the amount of THC that plants can contain. —Ashley Okwuosa, The Examination | Jordyn Noennig, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Zoe Jaeger, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Amy Yurkanin, Al.com, Journal Sentinel, 27 June 2024

And in May, the right-leaning U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit heard oral arguments in a case challenging a rule imposed by Nasdaq, which lists more than 3,000 companies, including Nvidia, Microsoft and Apple. —Julian Mark, Washington Post, 27 June 2024

Meanwhile, Biden recently imposed significant restrictions on immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S., then offered potential citizenship to about 500,000 people without legal status who are married to U.S. citizens and have been living in the country for more than a decade. —Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2024

Traditionally pro-Western since independence following the 1991 Soviet collapse, Georgia has recently moved to restore ties with Russia, which has imposed its own curbs on LGBTQ rights. —Reuters, NBC News, 27 June 2024

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

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