impose
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: Christianity
media
printing
publishing
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 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.
Inflected forms:
form: imposes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: imposing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: imposed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: imposed
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: impose
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: impose
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: imposed
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: impose
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: imposest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: imposed
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: imposedst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: imposes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: imposeth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: imposed
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: impose
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: imposed
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: impose
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: imposed
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: impose
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: imposing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: imposed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
Senses:
gloss: To physically lay or place (something) on another thing; to deposit, to put, to set.
pos: verb
tags: archaic
transitive
examples: [H]is Svvaine / Strevv'd faire greene Oſiers; and impoſ'd thereon / A good ſoft Sheepeskin, vvhich made him a Throne.
It vvas here likevviſe, in a place vvhere the diſtance betvveen the oppoſite banks cannot exceed five hundred paces, that Xerxes impoſed a ſtupendous bridge of boats, for the purpoſe of tranſporting into Europe an hundred and ſeventy myriads of barbarians.
gloss: To physically lay or place (something) on another thing; to deposit, to put, to set.
pos: verb
tags: archaic
transitive
examples: [Jesus] ſaid to them, Suffer the litle children to come vnto me, and prohibit them not, for the kingdom of God is for ſuch. […] And embracing them, and impoſing hands vpon them, he bleſſed them.
[W]hen Iſraell bleſſed Ephraim and Manaſſes Ioſephs ſonnes, hee impoſed vpon them his hands and prayed, […]
[T]hat the Apoſtolate might be ſucceſſive and perpetuall, Chriſt gave them a povver of ordination, that by impoſing hands on others they might impart that povver vvhich they receiued from Chriſt.
gloss: To physically lay or place (something) on another thing; to deposit, to put, to set.
pos: verb
tags: archaic
transitive
examples: They [pages] are imposed as follows, the illustration showing how the pages appear in the form. […] 18, 24, 32, and 48mo may be imposed in a similar manner, or may be so imposed as to be cut before folding.
gloss: To apply, enforce, or establish (something, often regarded as burdensome as a restriction or tax: see verb sense 1.2.2) with authority.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
transitive
examples: Congress imposed new tariffs.
Sanctions were imposed on the country that had made an unprovoked attack on its neighbour.
In crueltie and outrage ſhe did pas, / To proue her ſurname true, that ſhe impoſed has.
Great alſo is the glorie of thoſe Britans, […] For they not only ſeated themſelves, there maugre the Romans, (then indeede lovv, and neare ſetting,) and the French: but alſo impoſed their name to the countrey, held an defended the ſame againſt the French, vntill in our grandfathers memorie, it vvas vnited to France by the ſacred bonds of matrimonie.
Thou on the deep impoſeſt Nobler lavvs, / And by that Juſtice haſt remov'd the cauſe / Of thoſe rude tempeſts vvhich for rapine ſent, / Too oft, alas, involv'd the innocent.
New Jersey was reeling on Wednesday from the impact of Hurricane Sandy, […] Localities across New Jersey imposed curfews to prevent looting.
gloss: 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).
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
transitive
examples: Social relations impose courtesy.
[T]he courtier that proceeds in his matters, rather with oppinion and obſtinacy, then diſcretion and iudgement; ſhall neuer bee in fauor with the Prince, nor yet beeloued in the court. For it is as neceſſary for the courtier, that will ſeeke the fauor of the prince and loue of the court, to impoſe his tongue to ſylence: as it is to dyſpoſe his body to all maner of ſeruyce.
VVhat Fates impoſe, that men muſt needs abide; / It boots not to reſiſt both vvinde and tide.
Behold the vvindovv of my hart, mine eye: / VVhat humble ſuite attendes thy anſvvere there, / Impoſe ſome ſeruice on me for thy Loue.
Yet I muſt ſpeake, chooſe your reuenge your ſelfe, / Impoſe me to vvhat penance your inuention / Can lay vpon my ſinne, yet ſinnd I not, / But in miſtaking.
So for your ſake I vvill impoſe him dangers, / Such and ſo great, that vvithout Ioues ovvne hand, / He ſhall not haue the povver to ſcatter them.
[W]here the Spirit of God hath manifested it ſelfe to any man by the diſtribution of gifts, it is but reaſon, that man ſhould manifest the Spirit that is in him, by exerciſing thoſe gifts in ſome lavvfull Calling. And ſo this manifestation of the Spirit in my Text, impoſeth vpon every man the Neceſſity of a Calling.
[I]n the day thou eat'ſt [the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil], thou di'ſt; / Death is the penaltie impos'd, beware, / And govern well thy appetite, leaſt ſin / Surpriſe thee, and her black attendant Death.
I [Paul the Apostle] vvas going to Damaſcus vvith Letters from the High Prieſt to make Havock of God's People there, as I had made Havock of them in other places. Theſe bloody Letters vvas not impoſed upon me. I vvent to the High Prieſt and deſired them of him, Acts 9. 1, 2. And yet he [God] ſaved me!
On impious realms, and barb'rous Kings, impoſe / Thy plagues, and curſe 'em vvith ſuch ſons as thoſe.
Teachers ſhould vviſely judge of the Povver and Conſtitution of Youth, and impoſe no more on them than they are able to bear vvith Chearfulneſs and Improvement.
We must endure—but not because / The World imposeth woe. / Prayers hold a better power than dreams / And leave her far and low: / We cannot meet her cruel eyes, / When ours are lifted to the skies— […]
He forbade his subjects, on pain of his highest displeasure, to molest any religious assembly. He also abrogated all those acts which imposed any religious test as a qualification for any civil or military office.
Master should measure strength with master, then, / Before the servant be imposed a task.
[W]e don't want any Communist government in the United States of America. And if the people of other countries don't want communism, we don't want to see it imposed upon them against their will.
Detailed records are kept of the strains imposed on the bridge by the violent gales that frequently sweep the firth, and a self-recording wind gauge is fixed on the top of the tower.
It's foolish for society to impose the restriction of one man to the married woman. I'm not advocating sexual promiscuity but I think it's possible for a woman to have many kinds of relationships with many men and that shouldn't affect the status of the marriage. The husband, in turn, should have the same freedoms.
Norwich soon began imposing themselves on that patched-up defence with [Grant] Holt having their best early chance, only to see it blocked by [Danny] Simpson.
gloss: To force or put (a thing) on someone or something by deceit or stealth; to foist, to obtrude.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
transitive
examples: I went to visite Mr. Ratcliffe, in whose lodging was an impostor that had like to have impos'd upon us a pretended secret of multiplying gold; 'tis certain he had liv'd some time in Paris in extraordinarie splendor, but I found him to be an egregious cheate.
gloss: To subject (a student) to imposition (“a task inflicted as punishment”).
pos: verb
tags: UK
figuratively
transitive
gloss: To appoint (someone) to be in authority or command over other people.
pos: verb
tags: archaic
figuratively
obsolete
transitive
gloss: To accuse someone of (a crime, or a sin or other wrongdoing); to charge, to impute.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
obsolete
transitive
examples: So, if a Sonne that is by his Father ſent about Merchandize, doe ſinfully miſcarry vpon the Sea; the imputation of his vvickedneſſe, by your rule, ſhould be impoſed vpon his Father that ſent him: […]
On him the King (in madneſſe ſo enrag'd) / Impoſde my death, himſelfe thereto that gag'd.
Thou falſely impoſeſt a capital crime upon him [Jesus], namely, that he made himſelf a King, whereas he never uſed any royal ornaments, according to the pomp of this world.
gloss: To put (a conclusion or end) to something definitively.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
obsolete
transitive
examples: [G]uards vvere held, at all parts, dayes and nights, / For feare of falſe ſurpriſe before, they had impoſde the crovvne / To theſe ſolemnities.
gloss: Chiefly followed by on or upon.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: But it is not onely the Difficultie, and Labour, vvhich Men take in finding out of Truth; nor againe, that vvhen it is found, it impoſeth vpon mens Thoughts; that doth bring Lies in fauour: But a naturall, though corrupt Loue, of the Lie it ſelfe.
But I perceive they do think that I know too much, and shall impose upon whomever shall come next, and therefore must be removed, […]
From no task Thou, Creator, imposedst! Creation / Revealed me no object, from insect to Man, / But bore Thy hand's impress: […]
gloss: Chiefly followed by on or upon.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: I don’t wish to impose upon you.
[T]hey do not rob the King of any right he ever had, for he never had a power to do hurt to his people, nor would exercise it: and therefore there is no danger, in the passing this Bill, of imposing on his prerogative; […]
Your character was unfolded in the recital which I received many months ago from Mr. Wickham. On this subject, what can you have to say? In what imaginary act of friendship can you here defend yourself? or under what misrepresentation can you here impose upon others?"
In the same year as the Furness objection, sadder tidings befell St Pancras Priory at Lewes, in East Sussex. Despite it having the distinction of being the earliest Cluniac monastery in Great Britain, petitions to prevent the Brighton Lewes & Hastings Railway from imposing on its site with its Lewes line failed. The line was approved and, as if as an act of deliberate desecration and assertion of the railways' power, passed over the site of the high altar.
gloss: Chiefly followed by on or upon.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Know, that thou imposedst upon my sire and deceivedst him by dint of thy deluding vaunts, so that of his greed for gain he married me to thee.
gloss: Chiefly followed by on or upon.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
examples: To impoſe upon all things brought into the Kin[g]dome is very ancient: vvhich impoſing vvhen it hath been continued a certain time, is them called Cuſtomes, becauſe the ſubjects are accuſtomed to pay it, and yet the great taxe upon vvine is ſtill called Impoſt, becauſe it vvas impoſed after the ordinary rate of payment, had laſted many years.
[W]hoso rhymes a sonnet pays a tax, / Who paints a landscape dips brush at his cost, / Who scores a septett true for strings and wind / Mulcted must be—else how should I impose / Properly, attitudinize aright, / Did such conflicting claims as these divert / Hohenstiel-Schwangau from observing me?
Synonyms: enjoin
force
inflict
lay
Related words: imposition
impost
postpone
propone
propose
reimposition
superimposition
Derived words: imposability
imposable
imposal
imposed
imposement
imposement
imposer
imposex
imposing
imposing stone
imposing table
imposure
nonimposed
overimpose
preimpose
reimpose
reimposer
self-impose
self-imposed
subimpose
superimpose
superimposed
superimposer
superimposing
superimposure
unimposed
Translations: