Skip to main content
to impose on

to impose on

60 5.5
To force someone to accept something or to ask too much of them
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : imponer (a alguien)
  • The new laws will impose on citizens stricter rules regarding waste disposal.
  • constraints imposed on
  • costs imposed on
  • restrictions imposed on

And I think a lot of this is imposed on us as a society.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The sanctions that we impose on Russia, the world found ways around it.

  • I just don't want to impose on you guys.

  • And I think a lot of this is imposed on us as a society.

  • And so here we have the starting values imposed on that field.

  • There is no real social organization being imposed on you from the top, from from the jail itself.

  • The kinds of things that make sense to them as opposed to what we may want to impose on the food service industry.

  • It's maintained by structural forces imposed on them by people in power.

  • There are many constraints that, I believe, should be imposed on any new definition of the word 'nation.'

    Academic text (1999)
  • Well, I don't want to impose on you.

  • We won't impose on your hospitality, Doctor.

Synonyms

to force
vsto impose on
2.3

To make someone do something by using power or pressure

often targets making acceptance or rules established rather than only actions
to compel
vsto impose on
258 4.8

Force someone to do something or make them feel they must

often aims to make acceptance or rules be adopted rather than only requiring action
to coerce
vsto impose on
  • Offensive
91 6.4

Force someone to do something by threats

may use authority or systems, not necessarily threats, to secure acceptance
to obligate
vsto impose on
  • Formal
89 6.7

Make someone legally or morally have to do something

uses legal or moral binding, not simply coercion or casual forcing
to oblige
vsto impose on
  • Formal
72 4.5

To make someone do something because the law or rules say so

is often a legal or duty based requirement rather than a unilateral forced acceptance
to thrust
vsto impose on
41 6.7

To force something on someone, often against their will

can be done more generally and not always with sudden force
to clamp
vsto impose on
24 5.8

Force strict rules on people or groups

applies more broadly to making things accepted or established, not just restrictions
to force down
vsto impose on
  • Informal
2 7.0

To make someone accept ideas they do not want

makes acceptance or implementation general rather than only concerning beliefs
to bring pressure to bear
vsto impose on
  • Formal
1 6.0

To use influence to persuade someone to do something

can act without persuasion, directly making acceptance or measures happen
dictated
vsto impose on
5.4

Someone in charge decides something for others with no choice

may come from force or general forcing, not only decisions by authority

Antonyms

1.0

To let something happen or let someone do something

How Burdensome

to overburden
12 5.9
to burden
77 3.7
to impose on
60 5.5
to request
1.0

Surface Forms

impose on infinitive
imposed on past
imposed on past participle
imposing on present participle
imposes on third person singular

Morphology

impose + on

The verb 'impose' (to press duties or burdens) combined with the preposition 'on' (indicating the target) transparently yields the meaning of placing a burden or obligation onto someone; in contexts like "I don't want to impose on you" this is clearly the sense of inconveniencing or forcing oneself upon someone. This verb+preposition composition is a regular, cross-linguistic pattern and would be predictable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Impose on comes from the image of someone putting a heavy object or burden onto another person's shoulders. So to impose on someone is to place a load, rule, or request 'on' them, that is, to 'force' them to accept something they may not want.