Which is the difference between "imports" (as a noun) and "importations". I'm a little confused with these words.

For instance in the sentence:

▪︎The diesel importations represent high expenses to the company
Or
▪︎ The diesel imports represent high expenses to the company

Which is correct ?

Thanks for your help.

Question

Which is the difference between "imports" (as a noun) and "importations". I'm a little confused with these words.

For instance in the sentence:

▪︎The diesel importations represent high expenses to the company 
Or
▪︎ The diesel imports represent high expenses to the company

Which is correct ?

Thanks for your help.

Answer

Sometimes these words have the same meaning, but in general use "import" to describe the thing being imported (This CD is an import.) and "importation" to describe the act of importing something (The importation of CDs into our country is a small business.)

In this case, I'd prefer "imports" if we're taking about the actual diesel. But if we're talking about the act of importing diesel, then "importation" (maybe taxes and tariffs associated with importing are part of the high expenses).

Answer

I agree with sezme, and would also add that IMPORTATIONS is rarely used (I'm not sure I've ever heard that word).    Maybe it's more common in economics.

Answer

I'm not an expert in economics (I really know very litle about it), but "imports" sounds a bit more natural to me.