importune
importune — verb
- importunepresent simple I / you / we / they
- importuneshe / she / it
- importunedpast simple
- importuning-ing form
1. to push someone into doing what you want by asking them over and over until they
to push someone into doing what you want by asking them over and over until they give in.
Nora's elderly neighbour importuned her every afternoon to help carry his shopping bags upstairs.
importune + person + to-infinitive
During the elections, voters were constantly importuned by campaign workers handing out flyers.
passive: be importuned + by + agent
Museum staff grew tired of being importuned for free admission by tourists who refused to pay.
Diego could not finish his homework because his brother kept importuning him to play games.
Elena's elderly aunt would importune her for help with technology almost every time she visited.
- leave alone
to stop bothering someone entirely
- respect
to show consideration for someone's time and wishes rather than pushing
文法句型
importune + person + to-infinitive
importune + person + for + thing
be importuned + by + agent
用法筆記
Frequently used in passive constructions. In everyday conversation, 'pester' or 'nag' is more natural; 'importune' belongs to formal or written registers.
常見錯誤
2. to offer payment in exchange for sex, or to seek someone willing to have sex for
to offer payment in exchange for sex, or to seek someone willing to have sex for money — used especially in legal contexts about prostitution.
Police arrested a man for importuning an undercover officer near a nightclub.
legal context: importune + person + in + location
Ryo was charged after witnesses saw him importuning several passers-by for sex.
importune + person + for + thing
Omar's brother was arrested for importuning a woman outside a bus station and was sentenced to six months in prison.
Ziad received a police caution for importuning a woman in the park late at night.
- solicit
the standard modern legal term for offering sex for money
- proposition
more direct and less formal; can be used outside legal contexts
文法句型
importune + person
importune + person + in + location
importune + person + for + sexual act
用法筆記
Primarily a legal term in British English. Historically, 'importuning for immoral purposes' was a specific criminal offence. This sense is distinct from sense 1 — it refers specifically to the exchange of money for sex, not to any general act of persistent asking.
常見錯誤
importune — adjective
- importunepositive
- more importunecomparative
- most importunesuperlative
1. always asking for things in a way that annoys other people; persistently demandi
always asking for things in a way that annoys other people; persistently demanding or urgent.
Hannah found it hard to refuse her three young children's importunate requests.
noun modifier: importunate + requests
An importunate salesman followed Mrs. Chen from room to room, refusing to take no for an answer.
importunate + noun describing a person
Passengers avoided the importunate beggar who asked everyone on the train for money.
Aarav ignored the importunate phone calls from the debt-collection agency for weeks.
- persistent
more neutral and far more common; importunate adds a tone of annoyance
- insistent
suggests firm refusal to give up; importunate implies a more bothersome quality
文法句型
importunate + noun
be + importunate
用法筆記
This adjective is equivalent to 'importunate.' It is rarely used in modern English; 'importunate' is more common in formal writing.