1 [VN] ~ sth (on / upon sth/sb) to introduce a new law, rule, tax, etc.; to order that a rule, punishment, etc. be used:
A new tax was imposed on fuel.
2 [VN] ~ sth (on / upon sb/sth) to force sb/sth to have to deal with sth that is difficult or unpleasant:
to impose limitations / restrictions / constraints on sth * This system imposes additional financial burdens on many people. * The time limits are imposed on us by factors outside our control.
3 [VN] ~ sth (on / upon sb) to make sb accept the same opinions, wishes etc. as your own:
She didn't want to impose her values on her family. * It was noticeable how a few people managed to impose their will on the others.
4 [V] ~ (on / upon sb/sth) to expect sb to do sth for you or to spend time with you, when it may not be convenient for them:
'You must stay for lunch.' 'Well, thanks, but I don't want to impose...' * Everyone imposes on Dave's good nature.
5 [VN] ~ yourself (on / upon sb/sth) to make sb/sth accept or be aware of your presence or ideas:
European civilization was the first to impose itself across the whole world.
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About this entry
This is a English–English dictionary entry.
Sourced from Main Dictionary in Lughet's collection.
This word also appears under other sources in Lughet's collection — see the list below.
This entry for impose is sourced from Main Dictionary, one of the dictionaries and corpora merged into Lughet.
Is impose a noun, verb, or something else?
In this entry, impose is tagged as verb.
Does impose appear elsewhere on Lughet?
Yes — impose appears under other sources or language pairs in Lughet's collection. See the list below.
What is Lughet?
Lughet is a free trilingual dictionary covering nearly five million entries across Uyghur, Chinese, and English, drawn from more than ten source dictionaries and corpora.