Meaning & use
exported
Last updated
“exported” is a form of “export”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitivebusiness
Past tense and past participle of export: sold and sent goods or services to another country.
Grammar: Takes an object: they exported coffee; or no object: the firm exported widely.
Patterns
- export something to somewhere
- be exported from somewhere
The country exported most of its wheat to neighboring states.
These cars are exported to more than fifty countries.
The company exported for years before opening a local office.
verbtransitivecomputing
Past tense of export in computing: saved or sent data from one program or system to a file or another system.
Grammar: Takes an object: she exported the report.
Patterns
- export something to something
- export something as something
I exported the spreadsheet as a PDF.
He exported all his contacts to a new phone.
The tool exported the data in CSV format.
adjectivebefore a noun
Describing goods or services sold abroad.
Grammar: Used before a noun: exported goods.
Patterns
- exported goods
Exported goods are checked at the border.
Exported food must meet foreign safety rules.
The value of exported oil fell sharply.
Word forms
| base form | export |
|---|---|
| third person singular | exports |
| -ing form | exporting |
Common combinations
- exported to
- The wine is exported to Asia.
- exported goods
- Exported goods require a customs form.
- exported from
- The beans are exported from Brazil.
- exported as a file
- The image was exported as a PNG.
- widely exported
- The product is widely exported.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shipped abroad
- Shipped abroad is plainer and focuses on transport, not trade.
- sold overseas
- Sold overseas stresses the sale, not the shipping.
- sent out
- Sent out is general and does not imply selling to other countries.
- transferred
- Transferred is the neutral word when moving data between systems.
Opposites
Word family
- export verb
- to send goods abroad for sale
- export noun
- a product sold abroad
- exporter noun
- a person or company that sells abroad
- exportation noun
- the act of exporting
- exportable adjective
- able to be exported
Commonly confused: exported or imported?
exported vs imported
Imported goods come into a country; exported goods go out of it.
Practice
The island ___ most of its bananas to Europe last year.
Choose one answer.
Last year needs the past tense, and sending goods abroad is exporting. Imported means brought in, the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exported”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.