exportation
C1Formal, Technical, Business
Definition
Meaning
The act or business of sending goods or services to another country for sale or trade.
The process of transmitting or transferring something (e.g., data, culture, ideas) from one place or system to another.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a countable/uncountable noun referring to the process or industry. More formal than the simpler noun 'export'. Often used in official, economic, or technical contexts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. 'Export' (noun) is more common in everyday speech in both varieties. 'Exportation' is used in formal legal, economic, and technical writing.
Connotations
Connotes official processes, legal frameworks, and economic statistics. Slightly more bureaucratic than 'export'.
Frequency
Low frequency in general corpora; higher frequency in business, economics, and legal texts. Roughly equal frequency in UK and US formal writing.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
exportation of [product/data] to [country]exportation from [country]for exportationVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[not a strongly idiomatic word]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
The company's main revenue comes from the exportation of specialist machinery.
Academic
The paper analyses the economic impact of raw material exportation on developing nations.
Everyday
It's a company that deals with the exportation of fruit. (Less common; 'export' is preferred)
Technical
The software prevents the unauthorized exportation of sensitive data.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The firm exports most of its produce to the EU.
- It is illegal to export these artefacts without a licence.
American English
- The company exports software globally.
- We need a permit to export these agricultural products.
adverb
British English
- Goods are sold export.
- [Rarely used]
American English
- The goods were priced for export.
- [Rarely used]
adjective
British English
- The export market is volatile.
- They secured an export licence.
American English
- Export controls have been tightened.
- She works in export sales.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The country earns money from the exportation of oil.
- Coffee exportation is important for their economy.
- New regulations govern the exportation of cultural heritage items.
- The report details a year-on-year increase in the exportation of services.
- The treaty facilitated the duty-free exportation of manufactured goods between the member states.
- Critics argue that the continuous exportation of raw materials stifles domestic industrial development.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a ship leaving a PORT. EX-PORT-ATION: the action of taking things EXit the PORT to another nation.
Conceptual Metaphor
COUNTRIES ARE CONTAINERS (goods exit the container); TRADE IS A FLUID (flow of goods).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque from Russian 'экспортация' – it is correct but very formal. In many contexts, the simpler 'export' (экспорт) is more natural.
- Do not confuse with 'exploration' (разведка, исследование).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'exportation' in casual conversation where 'export' suffices (e.g., 'The export of cars' not 'The exportation of cars').
- Misspelling as 'exportion'.
- Using it as a verb (the verb is 'to export').
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'exportation' MOST appropriately used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Export' is the common, all-purpose noun (and verb). 'Exportation' is a more formal noun, often used in legal, technical, or official contexts to emphasize the process or system.
No. The verb form is 'to export'. 'Exportation' is only a noun.
No, it is a low-frequency, formal word. The noun 'export' and verb 'export' are far more common in everyday and business English.
Primarily, but its use has extended to digital contexts (data exportation) and metaphorical ones (cultural exportation).