Standard Lemma guide

impute

verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpjuːt/
  • Canada, General-American: /ɪmˈpjut/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ɪmˈpjʉːt/
  • New-Zealand: /əmˈpjʉːt/
  • rhymes with -uːt
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M P Y UW1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To attribute or ascribe (responsibility or fault) to a cause or source.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The teacher imputed the student's failure to his nervousness.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: attribute, insinuate, charge, imply, accredit, ascribe, attach, chalk up to, draw, impute, lay, put down to, repose

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To ascribe (sin or righteousness) to someone by substitution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: lifestyle, religion, theology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To take into account.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: consider, regard, reckon

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To attribute or credit to.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • People impute great cleverness to cats.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: attribute, ascribe, assign

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To replace missing data with substituted values.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: mathematics, sciences, statistics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

attribute or credit to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • We attributed this quotation to Shakespeare
  • People impute great cleverness to cats

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ascribe, assign, attribute

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: evaluate, pass judgment, judge

Narrower terms: impute, sensualize, carnalize, credit, reattribute, anthropomorphize, anthropomorphise, personify, personate, accredit, blame, charge, project, externalize, externalise, internalize, internalise, interiorize, interiorise

7

verb

Meaning 7

attribute (responsibility or fault) to a cause or source

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The teacher imputed the student's failure to his nervousness

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: impute, ascribe, assign, attribute

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French imputer, from Latin imputō (“to bring into the reckoning, charge, impute”).

Across languages

Translations

49 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: приписвам (pripisvam) — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Bulgarian: отдавам (otdavam) — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Czech: přisuzovat — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Czech: přičítat — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Czech: připisovat — to attribute to a cause or source
  • French: imputer — to attribute to a cause or source
  • German: zuschreiben — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Italian: imputare — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Korean: 돌리다 (dollida) — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Māori: whakairi — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Māori: whakatuaki — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Polish: przypisać — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Polish: imputować — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Portuguese: imputar — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Romanian: imputa — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Russian: вменять (vmenjatʹ) — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Spanish: imputar — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Swedish: tillskriva — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Ukrainian: приписувати (prypysuvaty) — to attribute to a cause or source
  • Bulgarian: приписвам (pripisvam) — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • French: imputer — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • German: anrechnen — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • German: zurechnen — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • Italian: imputare — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • Japanese: 転嫁する (tenka suru) — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • Korean: 돌리다 (dollida) — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • Polish: przypisać — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • Portuguese: imputar — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • Romanian: imputa — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • Russian: припи́сывать (pripísyvatʹ) — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • Swedish: tillskriva — to ascribe sin or righteousness
  • Bulgarian: отчитам (otčitam) — to take account of; regard
  • German: in Betracht ziehen — to take account of; regard
  • German: einbeziehen — to take account of; regard
  • German: einberechnen — to take account of; regard
  • German: einkalkulieren — to take account of; regard
  • German: erwägen — to take account of; regard
  • German: betrachten — to take account of; regard
  • Bulgarian: приписвам (pripisvam) — to attribute or credit to
  • Czech: přisuzovat — to attribute or credit to
  • German: zuschreiben — to attribute or credit to
  • German: unterstellen — to attribute or credit to
  • Italian: imputare — to attribute or credit to
  • Japanese: 転嫁する (tenka suru) — to attribute or credit to
  • Korean: 돌리다 (dollida) — to attribute or credit to
  • Polish: przypisać — to attribute or credit to
  • Portuguese: imputar — to attribute or credit to
  • Romanian: imputa — to attribute or credit to
  • Russian: припи́сывать (pripísyvatʹ) — to attribute or credit to