Importers is a plural noun referring to people or firms that bring goods into a country for sale. In everyday use, it often appears in business contexts, trade discussions, and supply-chain conversation. The term emphasizes the role of entities that handle the inbound side of commerce rather than manufacturers or exporters.
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"The importers signed a new contract with several overseas suppliers."
"Small importers are adapting logistics to handle growing e-commerce demand."
"Tax laws can affect how importers declare duties and value for customs."
"Importers often work with freight forwarders to coordinate shipment schedules."
The word importer derives from Late Latin importare, formed from in- (into) + portare (to carry). The English noun importer arises in the 13th–15th centuries in the sense of a person or thing that imports goods. The modern sense, emphasizing a person or company that brings goods into a country for sale, solidified in the 17th–19th centuries as international trade expanded. The plural form importers follows standard English pluralization by adding -s. Across centuries, the semantic core remained the middleman who introduces goods from foreign markets into domestic circulation, evolving from a generic carrier to a business role tied to customs, logistics, and market access. The term sits alongside exporters, merchants, and traders as vocabulary for international commerce. First recorded uses appear in trade records and navigational logs where merchants noted their import activities and duties, gradually becoming common in business writing and economic discourse as global commerce matured.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "importers" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "importers"
-ers sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtərz/ in US; /ˌɪmˈpɔːtəz/ in UK/AU for some varieties. Emphasize the second syllable: im-POR-ters. The final -ers is /-ərz/ or /-əz/ in rapid speech. Mouth positions: start with a short /ɪ/ then a clear /m/; open mid-back /ɔː/ for “por”; the /t/ is a crisp alveolar stop, followed by /ər/ or /ə/; finish with a voiced /z/ in US and many accents. Audio samples: consult a reputable dictionary or pronunciation platform for native speaker recordings.
Common errors include merging /t/ with the following /ər/ into a flap or a quick /d/; skipping the final /z/ in pluralization; and misplacing stress, saying im-PROT-ers or im-PORT-ers with the stress on the wrong syllable. Correction tips: practice the crisp /t/ before the /ər/; keep the /z/ voice at the end by engaging the vocal folds; mark the second syllable stress with a slight pause or emphasis in slow practice, then transfer to natural speed.
In US English, final -ers commonly ends with a voiced /z/ in plural: /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtərz/. UK speakers may realize the final as /-təz/ or /-təz/ with less rhoticity on the middle syllable and sometimes a lighter final /z/. Australian pronunciation tends toward /ˌɪmˈpɔːtəz/ with a clearer mid vowel and less rhoticity than US. The primary shock differences are the /r/ rhoticity and the quality of the middle vowel /ɔː/ versus similar back vowels; listen for a stronger rhotic /r/ in US, a reduced /r/ in non-rhotic variants, and vowel length differences.
Two main challenges: 1) The /ɔːr/ sequence in the stressed syllable can be tricky: keep backness and rounding consistent while avoiding a fused ‘or’ vowel that slides toward /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ in some accents. 2) The final /-ərz/ cluster requires precise voicing of /r/ and /z/ to avoid a blurred or muffled ending; ensure the /z/ is audible and not devoiced or skipped in fast speech.
Stress generally remains on the second syllable im-POR-ters; the plural suffix /-z/ does not usually shift the main stress. In careful speech you may hear a slight secondary emphasis on the final syllable, but in fast speech the main stress stays on /ˈpɔːr/ with the endings compressed. IPA reference remains /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtərz/ (US) or /ˌɪmˈpɔːtəz/ (UK).
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