impose

Meaning

Verb

1. To physically lay or place (something) on another thing; to deposit, to put, to set.
2. To physically lay or place (something) on another thing; to deposit, to put, to set.
3. To apply, enforce, or establish (something, often regarded as burdensome as a restriction or tax: see sense 1.2.2) with authority.
4. To place or put (something chiefly immaterial, especially something regarded as burdensome as a duty, an encumbrance, a penalty, etc.) on another thing or on someone; to inflict, to repose; also, to place or put (on someone a chiefly immaterial thing, especially something regarded as burdensome).
5. To force or put (a thing) on someone or something by deceit or stealth; to foist, to obtrude.
6. To subject (a student) to imposition (“a task inflicted as punishment”).
7. To appoint (someone) to be in authority or command over other people.
8. (obsolete) To accuse someone of (a crime, or a sin or other wrongdoing); to charge, to impute.
9. (obsolete) To put (a conclusion or end) to something definitively.
10. Chiefly followed by on or upon.
11. Chiefly followed by on or upon.
12. Chiefly followed by on or upon.
13. (obsolete) Chiefly followed by on or upon.

Noun

An act of placing or putting on something chiefly immaterial, especially something regarded as burdensome as a duty, a task, etc.; an imposition.

Synonyms

force

inflict

levy

compel

coerce

require

tax

enforce

oblige

thrust

dictate

press

necessitate

lay

mandate

charge

assert

command

bring down

prescribe

put on

load

set

constrain

assess

impel

order

impose upon

visit

apply

force on

gouge

govern

gyp

hoax

hoodwink

humbug

install

intrude

jockey

juggle

lay down

lay on

legislate

make

mention

mete out

modify

obtrude

ordain

palm

pass

pest

pile

place

pluck

ply

press on

pressurise

punish

put

fob off on

foist on

record

rook

run down

sham

shave

shortchange

spoof

swindle

trick

unload

welch

wreak

foist off

accumulate

be a burden

appoint

assign

bamboozle

bilk

bluff

burden

carry out

catch up with

cause trouble

cheat

chisel

circumvent

collect

con

constitute

control

deceive

decree

determine

drive

dupe

enjoin

establish

execute

exert

fine

fix

foist

fool

Hyphenated as

im‧pose

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɪmˈpəʊz/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: imposen

Cognate with French: imposer

In summary

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, the present active infinitive of impōnō (“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.