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impose

Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpəʊz/

The English word “impose” has 15 meanings listed here.

verb

  1. To physically lay or place (something) on another thing; to deposit, to put, to set.
  2. To lay or place (one's hands) on someone as a blessing, during rites of confirmation, ordination, etc.
  3. 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.
  4. To apply, enforce, or establish (something, often regarded as burdensome as a restriction or tax: see verb sense 1.2.2) with authority.
  5. 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).
  6. To force or put (a thing) on someone or something by deceit or stealth; to foist, to obtrude.
  7. To subject (a student) to imposition (“a task inflicted as punishment”).
  8. To appoint (someone) to be in authority or command over other people.
  9. To accuse someone of (a crime, or a sin or other wrongdoing); to charge, to impute.
  10. To put (a conclusion or end) to something definitively.
  11. To affect authoritatively or forcefully; to influence strongly.
  12. 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.
  13. To practise deceit or stealth; to cheat, to deceive, to trick.
  14. To subject to an impost, levy, tax, etc.

noun

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

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…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.