impose

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im·pose

(ĭm-pōz′)

v. im·posed, im·pos·ing, im·pos·es

v.tr.

1. To establish or apply as compulsory; levy: impose a tax.

2. To bring about by authority or force; force to prevail: impose a peace settlement.

3. To obtrude or force (oneself, for example) on another or others.

4. Printing To arrange (type or plates) on an imposing stone.

5. To offer or circulate fraudulently; pass off: imposed a fraud on consumers.

v.intr.

To force oneself on or take unfair advantage of others: You are always imposing on their generosity.

[Middle English imposen, from Old French imposer, alteration (influenced by poser, to put, place) of Latin impōnere, to place upon : in-, on; see in-² + pōnere, to place; see apo- in Indo-European roots.]

im·pos′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

impose

(ɪmˈpəʊz)

1. (tr) to establish as something to be obeyed or complied with; enforce: to impose a tax on the people.

2. to force (oneself, one's presence, etc) on another or others; obtrude

3. (intr) to take advantage, as of a person or quality: to impose on someone's kindness.

4. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (tr) printing to arrange (pages) so that after printing and folding the pages will be in the correct order

5. (tr) to pass off deceptively; foist: to impose a hoax on someone.

6. (Ecclesiastical Terms) (tr) (of a bishop or priest) to lay (the hands) on the head of a candidate for certain sacraments

[C15: from Old French imposer, from Latin impōnere to place upon, from pōnere to place, set]

imˈposable adj

imˈposer n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

im•pose

(ɪmˈpoʊz)

v. -posed, -pos•ing. v.t.

1. to apply or establish by or as if by authority: to impose taxes.

2. to thrust intrusively upon others: to impose oneself uninvited.

3. to pass or palm off fraudulently or deceptively.

4. to lay (type pages, plates, etc.) in proper order on a slab of stone or metal and secure in a chase for printing.

5. to inflict, as a penalty.

v.i.

6. to obtrude oneself or one's needs upon others: Are you sure my request doesn't impose?

[1475–85; < Middle French imposer < Latin impōnere to put in or upon, impose =im- im-¹ + pōnere to put, place]

im•pos′a•ble, adj.

im•pos′er, n.

impose

Past participle: imposed
Gerund: imposing

Imperative
impose
impose

Present
I impose
you impose
he/she/it imposes
we impose
you impose
they impose

Preterite
I imposed
you imposed
he/she/it imposed
we imposed
you imposed
they imposed

Present Continuous
I am imposing
you are imposing
he/she/it is imposing
we are imposing
you are imposing
they are imposing

Present Perfect
I have imposed
you have imposed
he/she/it has imposed
we have imposed
you have imposed
they have imposed

Past Continuous
I was imposing
you were imposing
he/she/it was imposing
we were imposing
you were imposing
they were imposing

Past Perfect
I had imposed
you had imposed
he/she/it had imposed
we had imposed
you had imposed
they had imposed

Future
I will impose
you will impose
he/she/it will impose
we will impose
you will impose
they will impose

Future Perfect
I will have imposed
you will have imposed
he/she/it will have imposed
we will have imposed
you will have imposed
they will have imposed

Future Continuous
I will be imposing
you will be imposing
he/she/it will be imposing
we will be imposing
you will be imposing
they will be imposing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been imposing
you have been imposing
he/she/it has been imposing
we have been imposing
you have been imposing
they have been imposing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been imposing
you will have been imposing
he/she/it will have been imposing
we will have been imposing
you will have been imposing
they will have been imposing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been imposing
you had been imposing
he/she/it had been imposing
we had been imposing
you had been imposing
they had been imposing

Conditional
I would impose
you would impose
he/she/it would impose
we would impose
you would impose
they would impose

Past Conditional
I would have imposed
you would have imposed
he/she/it would have imposed
we would have imposed
you would have imposed
they would have imposed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Verb	1.	impose - compel to behave in a certain way; "Social relations impose courtesy" enforce compel, obligate, oblige - force somebody to do something; "We compel all students to fill out this form"
	2.	impose - impose something unpleasant; "The principal visited his rage on the students" inflict, bring down, visit communicate, intercommunicate - transmit thoughts or feelings; "He communicated his anxieties to the psychiatrist" dictate, prescribe, order - issue commands or orders for obtrude, intrude - thrust oneself in as if by force; "The colors don't intrude on the viewer" clamp - impose or inflict forcefully; "The military government clamped a curfew onto the capital" give - inflict as a punishment; "She gave the boy a good spanking"; "The judge gave me 10 years" foist - to force onto another; "He foisted his work on me"
	3.	impose - impose and collect; "levy a fine" levy toll - charge a fee for using; "Toll the bridges into New York City" tithe - levy a tithe on (produce or a crop); "The wool was tithed" reimpose - impose anew; "The fine was reimposed" lay - impose as a duty, burden, or punishment; "lay a responsibility on someone" mulct - impose a fine on; "he was fined for littering" tax - levy a tax on; "The State taxes alcohol heavily"; "Clothing is not taxed in our state" bill, charge - demand payment; "Will I get charged for this service?"; "We were billed for 4 nights in the hotel, although we stayed only 3 nights" distrain - levy a distress on

impose

verb

impose on someone intrude on, exploit, take advantage of, use, trouble, abuse, bother, encroach on, horn in (informal), trespass on, gate-crash (informal), take liberties with, butt in on, presume upon, force yourself on, obtrude on I was afraid you'd think we were imposing on you.

impose something on or upon someone

1. levy, apply, introduce, put, place, set, charge, establish, lay, fix, institute, exact, decree, ordain They impose fines on airlines who bring in illegal immigrants.

2. inflict, force, enforce, visit, press, apply, thrust, dictate, saddle (someone) with, foist Beware of imposing your own tastes on your children.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

impose

verb

1. To establish and apply as compulsory:

assess, exact, levy, put.

2. To set forth expressly and authoritatively:

decree, dictate, fix, lay down, ordain, prescribe.

Idioms: call the shots, lay it on the line.

3. To cause to undergo or bear (something unwelcome or damaging, for example):

inflict, play, visit, wreak.

4. To force (another) to accept a burden:

foist, inflict, saddle.

Informal: stick.

5. To take advantage of unfairly:

abuse, exploit, presume, use.

Translations

يَفْرِض عَلىيَفْرِض على، يُجْبِريَفْرِضُ نَفْسَه على

uvalitvynucovat sizavéstzneužít

pålæggepåtvinge

auferlegen erheben oktroyieren sich aufdrängen aufdrängen

imponer

määrätäsäätää

imposer taxer abuser de la bonté de

rásózvámot vet ki

leggja ánotfæra sér, misnotaòröngva upp á

imporre importunare imposizione soperchieria sopruso

primestiprimetimasuždėjimas

apliktuzbāztiesuzplītiesuzspiestuztiept

opleggen

ilegge påtvinge prakke på

abusar impor

uvaliťvynucovať si

naložitivsiliti

külfet yüklemekuygulamakyürürlüğe koymakzahmetine sokmakzorla kabul ettirmek

勉强某人做某事把...强加于推行硬缠着某人课征

impose

[ɪmˈpəʊz]

A. VT [+ condition, fine, tax] → imponer (on a) (Jur) [+ sentence] → imponer
troops were brought in to impose order → se movilizaron tropas para imponer el orden
he tries to impose his views on everyone else → intenta imponer sus puntos de vista a los demás
to impose o.s. on sb → abusar de la amabilidad de algn
I couldn't possibly impose myself on you for dinner → estaría abusando de su amabilidad si me quedara a cenar

B. VI to impose (up)on (= take advantage of) [+ kindness, hospitality] → abusar de
I don't wish to impose (upon you) → no quiero abusar, no quiero molestar(le)

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

impose

[ɪmˈpəʊz] vt

[+ fine] → imposer

[+ condition, taste] → imposer

impose on

vt fus (= take advantage of) [+ person] → abuser de la gentillesse de
I was afraid you'd feel we were imposing on you → J'avais peur que tu croies que nous abusions de ta gentillesse.

impose

task, conditions → aufzwingen, auferlegen (on sb jdm); sanctions, fine, sentence → verhängen (on gegen); tax → erheben; opinions, taste → aufzwingen (on sb jdm); to impose a tax on something → etw mit einer Steuer belegen, etw besteuern; the pressures imposed upon teachers → der Druck, dem Lehrer ausgesetzt sind

to impose oneself or one’s presence on somebody → sich jdm aufdrängen; he imposed himself on them for three months → er ließ sich einfach drei Monate bei ihnen nieder

vi → zur Last fallen (on sb jdm); I don’t wish to impose → ich möchte Ihnen nicht zur Last fallen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

impose

[ɪmˈpəʊz] vt (conditions, fine, tax) to impose (sth on sb) → imporre (qc a qn)

impose (up)on vi + prep (person) → approfittare di

impose

(imˈpouz) verb

1. to place (a tax, fine, task etc) on someone or something. The government have imposed a new tax on cigarettes.

2. to force (oneself, one's opinions etc) on a person. The headmaster liked to impose his authority on the teachers.

3. (often with on) to ask someone to do something which he should not be asked to do or which he will find difficult to do. I hope I'm not imposing (on you) by asking you to help.

imposition (impəˈziʃən) noun

impose

v. imponer.

References in classic literature ?

The restriction in question amounts to what lawyers call a NEGATIVE PREGNANT that is, a NEGATION of one thing, and an AFFIRMANCE of another; a negation of the authority of the States to impose taxes on imports and exports, and an affirmance of their authority to impose them on all other articles.

It is, indeed, possible that a tax might be laid on a particular article by a State which might render it INEXPEDIENT that thus a further tax should be laid on the same article by the Union; but it would not imply a constitutional inability to impose a further tax.

View in context

He would not allow the older boys to impose upon me, and would divide his cakes with me.

View in context

This method of handling the subject cannot impose on the good sense of the people of America.

Does the American impose on the Congress appropriations for two years?

View in context

In former times, when the same person was both demagogue and general, the democracies were changed into tyrannies; and indeed most of the ancient tyrannies arose from those states: a reason for which then subsisted, but not now; for at that time the demagogues were of the soldiery; for they were not then powerful by their eloquence; but, now the art of oratory is cultivated, the able speakers are at present the demagogues; but, as they are unqualified to act in a military capacity, they cannot impose themselves on the people as tyrants, if we except in one or two trifling instances.

View in context

The capitularies of Charlemagne and of Louis le Débonnaire impose severe penalties on fiery phantoms which presume to appear in the air.

View in context

Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.

View in context

A private rehearsal at these lodgings, and a bargain which will fill the pockets of a grasping stranger -- such are the sacrifices which dire necessity imposes on me at starting.

View in context

RFG mandates, noted an April 1 Bloomberg wire service story, "have helped boost the average retail price of [gasoline] to an all-time high," in large measure because the costs they impose on our already overburdened refining sector are passed along at the pump.

Why are gas prices climbing? It is primarily Washington--not OPEC or domestic oil companies--that bears the blame for inflated gasoline prices

Paragraph 153(1)(g) of the Act and subsection 105(1) of the Regulations impose a withholding tax of 15 percent on fees, commissions, or other amounts paid to non-resident individuals, partnerships, or corporations in respect of services rendered in Canada, other than in the course of regular and continuous employment in Canada.

Withholding under Regulation 105: May 30, 2002

Also, the Inland Revenue may impose penalties if it determines that the tax return was not prepared in compliance with the arm's length principle or that the return was submitted fraudulently or negligently.