Meaning & use

re-import

verb, noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ˌriːɪmˈpɔːt/
US/ˌriːɪmˈpɔːrt/

Meanings

  1. verbtransitivebusiness

    To bring goods back into a country after they were exported, often for sale.

    Grammar: Takes an object: re-import goods. The object is the goods being brought back.

    Patterns

    • re-import something
    • re-import something from somewhere

    The company re-imports its own products from overseas factories.

    They re-imported the vintage cars after restoring them abroad.

    It is often cheaper to re-import goods than to produce them locally.

  2. nouncountable or uncountablebusiness

    The act of bringing goods back into a country after they were exported.

    Grammar: Can be countable (a re-import) or uncountable (the re-import of goods).

    Patterns

    • the re-import of something
    • a re-import

    The re-import of these electronics is subject to high tariffs.

    This car is a re-import from Japan.

    Re-import has become more common as global supply chains have grown.

Word forms

third person singularre-imports
past tensere-imported
past participlere-imported
-ing formre-importing
pluralre-imports

Common combinations

re-import goods
The firm re-imports goods that were assembled abroad.
re-import from
They re-import coffee from Brazil after processing it.
re-import duties
The government lowered re-import duties to encourage trade.
a re-import car
He bought a re-import car at a lower price.

Synonyms and how they differ

import
Import means to bring goods in from another country for the first time; re-import specifically means bringing back goods that were previously exported.
bring back
Bring back is a general phrase; re-import is a technical term used in trade.

Opposites

Word family

import verb
To bring goods into a country from abroad.
import noun
A good brought in from another country.
importer noun
A person or company that imports goods.
importation noun
The act of importing.

Commonly confused: re-import or import?

re-import vs import

Import is the general term for bringing goods in; re-import means bringing back goods that were previously sent out.

Practice

After the cars were sold abroad, the dealer decided to ______ them to sell in the local market.

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