export
Americanverb (used with object)
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to ship (commodities) to other countries or places for sale, exchange, etc.
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to send or transmit (ideas, institutions, etc.) to another place, especially to another country.
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Computers. to save (documents, data, etc.) in a format usable by another software program.
verb (used without object)
noun
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the act of exporting; exportation.
the export of coffee.
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something that is exported; an article exported.
Coffee is a major export of Colombia.
adjective
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of or relating to the exportation of goods or to exportable goods.
export duties.
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produced for export.
an export beer.
noun
verb
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to sell (goods or services) or ship (goods) to a foreign country or countries
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(tr) to transmit or spread (an idea, social institution, etc) abroad
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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exportabilitynoun
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exporternoun
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superexportnoun
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superexportverb (used with object)
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exportableadjective
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nonexportableadjective
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unexportableadjective
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unexportedadjective
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unexportingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exportsimple
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exportssimple
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have exportedperfect
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has exportedperfect
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am exportingprogressive
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are exportingprogressive
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is exportingprogressive
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have been exportingperfect progressive
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has been exportingperfect progressive
Past
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exportedsimple
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had exportedperfect
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was exportingprogressive
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were exportingprogressive
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had been exportingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of export
First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin exportāre “to carry out, carry away,” from ex- ex- 1 + portāre “to carry”
Explanation
To export something is to move it from its current location to a different territory. Some have been trying to export the American diet overseas by spreading McDonald's fries around the globe. The verb export comes from the Latin word exportare which means “to carry out” or “send away.” To export something is to move it across borders. You could export locally made fabric to wealthy European cities. When something is an export, it is a good, service or idea that is sent or sold to a foreign land: diamonds are a valuable African export.
Vocabulary lists containing export
American History I
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Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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The United States
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon celebrated the signing in April of the free trade deal with the world's most populous nation, touting an export boom that would deliver jobs and investment in spades.
From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026
Cadiz’s attempts to export water from its property 200 miles east of Los Angeles have drawn controversy for decades.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2026
Global benchmark oil prices are higher than U.S. benchmark prices, which should support elevated U.S. crude-oil export activity, said Rob Thummel, senior portfolio manager at Tortoise Capital.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026
Erdogan waived export controls on the gift but it was left in Turkey because it is illegal to import a live firearm into the UK.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
Chiron told me the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.