im‧pose S3 W2 AC / ɪmpəʊz $ -poʊz / 动词

1 [及物动词] if someone in authority imposes a rule, punishment, tax etc, they force people to accept it :

The court can impose a fine.

impose something on something/somebody

The government imposed a ban on the sale of ivory.

2 [及物动词] to force someone to have the same ideas, beliefs etc as you

impose something on somebody

parents who impose their own moral values on their children

3 [不及物动词] formal to expect or ask someone to do something for you when this is not convenient for them

impose on/upon

We could ask to stay the night, but I don’t want to impose on them.

4 [及物动词] to have a bad effect on something or someone and to cause problems for them

impose a burden/hardship etc (on somebody/something)

Military spending imposes a huge strain on the economy.

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In everyday English, people usually say put a ban/tax/burden/strain on something rather than impose a ban/tax/burden/strain on something:

The government put a higher tax on cigarettes.

This puts a lot of strain on families.