# impose

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɪmˈpəʊz/ · frequency rank #8,047

## Definitions
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 physically lay or place (something) on another thing; to deposit, to put, to set.
4. To apply, enforce, or establish (something, often regarded as burdensome as a restriction or tax: see verb sense 1.2.1) with authority.
5. Chiefly followed by on or upon.
6. Chiefly followed by on or upon.
7. Chiefly followed by on or upon.
8. Chiefly followed by on or upon.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **impure** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/impose-vs-impure)
- **improve** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/impose-vs-improve)
- **imposed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/impose-vs-imposed)
- **impulse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/impose-vs-impulse)
- **imposter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/impose-vs-imposter)
- **import** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/import-vs-impose)
- **impede** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/impede-vs-impose)
- **impasse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/impasse-vs-impose)
- **implore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/implore-vs-impose)
- **implode** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/implode-vs-impose)

## Common misspellings (8)
`immpose`, `imopse`, `impoes`, `imposse`, `imppose`, `impsoe`, `ipmose`, `mipose`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/impose