importer

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A person or business that buys goods from another country and brings them in for sale.

   Grammar: Countable: use 'an importer' or 'importers' for more than one.

   Patterns

   • an importer of something
   • a major importer
   • importers and exporters

   The company is a leading importer of coffee beans from South America.

   Local importers pay customs duties when the goods arrive.

   As an importer, she must keep detailed records of every shipment.

2. 2nouncountable

   A country that buys goods from other countries.

   Grammar: Usually in the plural when talking about global trade, e.g. 'oil importers'.

   Patterns

   • a net importer of something
   • the world's largest importer

   Japan is a major importer of raw materials.

   Many developed nations are net importers of energy.

Word forms

Common combinations

a major importer

Brazil is a major importer of wheat.

an importer of

He works as an importer of luxury cars.

net importer

The country became a net importer of oil last year.

car importer

The car importer struggled with new tariffs.

leading importer

She is a leading importer of organic produce.

Synonyms and how they differ

trader

A trader buys and sells goods, often within one country; an importer specifically brings goods in from abroad.

distributor

A distributor supplies goods to shops, but may not import them directly.

Opposites

Word family

import verb

To bring goods into a country.

import noun

A product brought in from another country.

importation noun

The act of bringing goods into a country.

Commonly confused: importer or export?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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