impose
Plural: imposes
Verb
Verb Forms: imposed, imposing, imposes
- To establish or apply by authority; to force something unwelcome.
- compel to behave in a certain way
- "Social relations impose courtesy"
- impose something unpleasant
- impose and collect
- To physically lay or place (something) on another thing; to deposit, to put, to set.
- To physically lay or place (something) on another thing; to deposit, to put, to set.
- To lay or place (one's hands) on someone as a blessing, during rites of confirmation, ordination, etc.
- To physically lay or place (something) on another thing; to deposit, to put, to set.
- To lay (columns or pages of type, or printing plates) arranged in a proper order on the bed of a press or an imposing stone and secure them in a chase in preparation for printing.
- To apply, enforce, or establish (something, often regarded as burdensome as a restriction or tax: see sense 1.2.1) with authority.
- Chiefly followed by on or upon.
- To affect authoritatively or forcefully; to influence strongly.
- Chiefly followed by on or upon.
- To encroach or intrude, especially in a manner regarded as unfair or unwarranted; to presume, to take advantage of; also, to be a burden or inconvenience.
- Chiefly followed by on or upon.
- To practise deceit or stealth; to cheat, to deceive, to trick.
- Chiefly followed by on or upon.
- To subject to an impost, levy, tax, etc.
Noun
- An act of placing or putting on something chiefly immaterial, especially something regarded as burdensome as a duty, a task, etc.; an imposition.
Examples
- Congress imposed new tariffs.
- I don’t wish to impose upon you.
- Sanctions were imposed on the country that had made an unprovoked attack on its neighbour.
- The house rules impose a penalty for challenging a word incorrectly.
Origin / Etymology
The verb is derived from Late Middle English imposen (“to place, set; to impose (a duty, etc.)”), borrowed from Middle French imposer, and Old French emposer, enposer (“to impose (a duty, tax, etc.)”) (modern French imposer), from im-, em- (variants of en- (prefix meaning ‘in, into’)) + poser (“to place, put”), modelled after:
* Latin impōnere (“to place or set (something) on; (figurative) to impose (a duty, tax, etc.)”), from im- (variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘on, upon’)) + pōnō (“to place, put; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂pó, *h₂epó (“away; off”) + *tḱey- (“to cultivate; to live; to settle”)); and
* Latin impositus (“established; put upon, imposed”), the perfect passive participle of impōnō: see above.
The noun is derived from the verb.
Scrabble Score: 10
impose: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordimpose: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
impose: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary