imported

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a nounbusiness

   Brought into a country from abroad to be sold or used.

   Grammar: Usually before a noun: imported cheese.

   Patterns

   • imported from somewhere

   The shop sells imported chocolate from Belgium.

   Imported goods are taxed at the border.

   They drive an imported car.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nouncomputing

   Brought in from another place or system, such as data brought into a program.

   Grammar: Used in computing: imported files.

   Patterns

   • imported into something

   Imported contacts appeared in the new phone.

   The imported file had formatting errors.

   All imported data must be checked.

Common combinations

imported goods

Imported goods cost more here.

imported from

The wine is imported from Chile.

imported products

Imported products are labeled with the country.

imported labor

The farm relied on imported labor.

imported oil

The country depends on imported oil.

Synonyms and how they differ

foreign

Foreign describes origin in another country, while imported emphasizes the act of bringing in.

overseas

Overseas stresses that something came across the sea or from far away.

non-native

Non-native describes plants or animals introduced to a region.

Opposites

Word family

import verb

to bring in from another country

import noun

a product brought in from abroad

importer noun

a person or company that imports

importation noun

the act of importing

Commonly confused: imported or important? imported or exported?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “imported”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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