imposed; imposing
1
a
: to establish or apply by authority
impose a tax
impose new restrictions
impose penalties
b
: to establish or bring about as if by force
those limits imposed by our own inadequacies—
C. H. Plimpton
C. H. Plimpton2
: to force into the company or on the attention of another
impose oneself on others
4
: pass off
impose fake antiques on the public
: to take unwarranted advantage of something
imposed on his good nature
imposer
noun
Did you know?
The Latin imposui meant "put upon", and that meaning carried over into English in impose. A CEO may impose a new manager on one of the company's plants. A state may impose new taxes on luxury items or cigarettes, and the federal government sometimes imposes trade restrictions on another country to punish it. A polite apology might begin with "I hope I'm not imposing on you" (that is, "forcing my presence on you"). And a self-imposed deadline is one that you decide to hold yourself to.
Examples of impose in a Sentence
The judge imposed a life sentence.
I needed to break free from the limits imposed by my own fear of failure.
Recent Examples on the Web
But the court found that narrow limits can be imposed to serve overriding state interests.
—Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2024
Brazilian Supreme Court’s Justice Alexandre de Moraes imposed the ban, citing misinformation on X, which the judge felt was not adequately moderated on the platform.
—Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 20 Nov. 2024
Last month, the judge overseeing that case imposed a three-year injunction forbidding Google from a number of practices, such as the use of terms forcing app developers to use Google’s proprietary payment system for in-app billing.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
In August, Musk came out in support of California legislation that would impose new obligations on developers of advanced AI.
—Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for impose 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2024
Brazilian Supreme Court’s Justice Alexandre de Moraes imposed the ban, citing misinformation on X, which the judge felt was not adequately moderated on the platform.
—Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 20 Nov. 2024
Last month, the judge overseeing that case imposed a three-year injunction forbidding Google from a number of practices, such as the use of terms forcing app developers to use Google’s proprietary payment system for in-app billing.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
In August, Musk came out in support of California legislation that would impose new obligations on developers of advanced AI.
—Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for impose
Dictionary Entries Near impose
Cite this Entry
“Impose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impose. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
impose
verb
im·pose
im-ˈpōz 
imposed; imposing
1
a
: to establish or apply as a charge or penalty
impose a fine
impose a tax
b
: to force somebody to accept or put up with
impose one's will on another
2
: to take unfair advantage
impose on a friend's good nature
imposer
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share