Meaning & use
re-import
Last updated
Meanings
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.
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 singular | re-imports |
|---|---|
| past tense | re-imported |
| past participle | re-imported |
| -ing form | re-importing |
| plural | re-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.
Choose one answer.
Re-import fits because the cars were exported and now are being brought back. Import would mean bringing them in for the first time. Export means sending out, and re-export means sending out again after importing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “re-import”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.