impose

verb
UK: /ɪmˈpəʊz/
US: /ɪmˈpoʊz/

  1. To officially force a rule, tax, or punishment to be followed or paid.

    1. The judge will impose a fine.
    2. The government may impose new taxes on fuel if consumption increases significantly.

  2. To force someone to accept something, especially a belief or way of living.

    1. Don't impose your views on me.
    2. The invaders imposed their culture on the local population, suppressing native traditions.

  3. To take advantage of someone's kindness or generosity.

    1. I don't want to impose on you.
    2. We didn't want to impose on our neighbors, so we kept our request brief and simple.

Synonyms

obtrude enforce levy inflict dictate
impose transitive-verb

  1. To introduce something as burden.

    1. Let's not impose burden to him.
    2. I hate to impose, but could you possibly give me a ride to the station later?
impose intransitive-verb

  1. To take unfair advantage of someone.

    1. I hope I'm not impose.
    2. She realized he was imposing on her hospitality, but she didn't know how to address it.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "impose" in English means: To officially force a rule, tax, or punishment to be followed or paid., To force someone to accept something, especially a belief or way of living., To take advantage of someone's kindness or generosity..

The phonetic transcription of "impose" is /ɪmˈpəʊz/ in British English and /ɪmˈpoʊz/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "impose": obtrude, enforce, levy, inflict, dictate.

Example usage of "impose": "The judge will impose a fine.". More examples on the page.