SAT vocabulary: impute
What does impute mean? Read below for the definition.
Quick vocab quiz for the word impute
First, before you read about the word impute, try this quick vocab quiz:
impute most nearly means
(A) mar
(B) attribute
(C) scan
(D) lie
(E) express
Write your answer down, or just store it in that razor-sharp mind of yours. (If you can’t wait, the answer is below.)
Now let’s learn about the word impute.
Part of Speech of impute
impute is a VERB.
Pronunciation impute
Here’s how to pronounce impute:
IPA: /ɪm.ˈpyut/
Glossary-style: [ihm-PYOOT]
Definition of impute
impute means: attribute or give responsibility to someone or something for doing something, especially something bad (Ex: impute selfishness to one’s actions).
Explain more about impute, please
impute is one of those words that’s easy to understand, but a bit hard to explain, like although and the slang term cool.
It’s often best to explain words like this with examples, so let’s start with an example before we get to the definition. Imagine that you’ve given a gift to your teacher. A cynical person might impute selfish motives to your action, saying, for example, that you are giving your teacher a gift so that she or he will look upon you more favorably or will perhaps reward your generosity with a higher grade.
So, in a nutshell, if you impute something to someone, you say that that peson is responsible for it. In the above case, we are imputing selfish motives to you for giving your teacher a gift. (And nothing personal; this is just an example. :) )
Example of impute
Here’s the word impute used in a sentence:
If you’ve read this far, you’re a great student and will learn vocabulary quickly. You may now check your answer.
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