Import

How it is used

Like exports, usually plural: energy imports, cheap imports. Countries import raw materials, energy and finished goods, and a high import bill can widen the trade deficit. Governments may put tariffs or quotas on imports.

Example sentences

1. Energy imports make up a large share of the country's import bill.

2. Factories import machinery and parts to produce goods for export.

Common collocations

• energy imports
• import bill
• cheap imports
• import duties
• import from

Related terms

• exportA good or service sold to buyers in another country; as a verb, to sell goods or services abroad.
• trade deficitThe gap that appears when the value of a country's imports of goods, and sometimes services, is greater than the value of its exports over a period.
• tariffA tax that a government charges on goods when they are imported, which makes foreign products more expensive compared with local ones.
• protectionismPolicies that shield domestic producers from foreign competition, for example through tariffs, import quotas or subsidies.
• current account deficitA shortfall that arises when a country pays more to the rest of the world for goods, services, income and transfers than it receives.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• import · International Trade

More terms: Trade and Exchange Rates

• exchange rate
• depreciation
• devaluation
• comparative advantage
• foreign direct investment
• balance of payments
• free trade
• currency
• appreciation
• globalisation
• trade balance
• floating exchange rate