noun
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the act, business, or process of exporting goods or services
-
an exported product or service
Etymology
Origin of exportation
1600–10; < Latin exportātiōn- (stem of exportātiō ), equivalent to exportāt ( us ) (past participle of exportāre to export ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Exportation is the process of selling goods in another country. The exportation of soybeans, auto parts, and medicine are all important parts of the U.S. economy. Exportation comes from the verb export and its Latin root exportare, "to carry out" or "to send away." Exportation is one vital way of selling goods, like food or vehicles, and services, such as insurance or information technology. The process involves moving things across borders, from one country to another. You can also use this word for the spreading of ideas: "The exportation of American culture is clear when you travel around the world."
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.
The department issued a general license allowing transactions relating to "the lifting, exportation, reexportation, sale, resale, supply, storage, marketing, purchase, delivery, or transportation of Venezuelan-origin oil."
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
The report found there was "little to evidence a consistent and widespread knowledge, understanding, or application" of mobile messaging apps, "including rules around retention, exportation, and deletion".
From BBC • Dec. 17, 2024
The Italian government says it was brought into Italy and then exported illegally, with the illegal exportation the basis of its confiscation order.
From Seattle Times • May 2, 2024
"They have to export cheese because there's much so much cheese," she says, "but wine exportation was never really necessary. So the wine always stayed a little bit hidden. It was a niche."
From Salon • Sep. 10, 2023
We may be sure, however, that this exportation is transacted not simply for the emoluments of sale, but for the instruction of awful example.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.