imagine

American  

[ih-maj-in] / ɪˈmædʒ ɪn /

verb (used with object)

• imagines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• imagined,
  past participle,  past
• imagining
  present participle

1. to form a mental image of (something not actually present to the senses).

   Synonyms:

   picture, image

2. to think, believe, or fancy.

   He imagined the house was haunted.

3. to assume; suppose.

   I imagine they'll be here soon.

4. to conjecture; guess.

   I cannot imagine what you mean.

5. Archaic. to plan, scheme, or plot.

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verb (used without object)

• imagines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• imagined,
  past participle,  past
• imagining
  present participle

1. to form mental images of things not present to the senses; use the imagination.

2. to suppose; think; conjecture.

imagine British  

/ ɪˈmædʒɪn /

verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to form a mental image of

2. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to think, believe, or guess

3. (tr; takes a clause as object) to suppose; assume

   I imagine he'll come

4. (tr; takes a clause as object) to believe or assume without foundation

   he imagines he knows the whole story

5. an archaic word for plot 1

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1. Also: imagine that!.  an exclamation of surprise

Usage

What does imagine mean? To imagine is to form a mental likeness of something or someone not present, as in Imagine flying in a rocket to Mars. To imagine also means to think of something, especially in a way that it is not currently, as in Imagine what the house might look like after all these years. To imagine is also to assume, as in Oh dear, the teacher imagined that we all did our homework. Finally, to imagine can mean to guess, as in Can you imagine what it would be like for it to snow in the summer?Example: I can’t imagine they will take much longer, so we should just wait here.

Synonym Usage

Imagine, conceive, conceive of, realize refer to bringing something before the mind. To imagine is, literally, to form a mental image of something: to imagine yourself in London. To conceive is to form something by using one's imagination: How has the author conceived the first act of his play? To conceive of is to comprehend through the intellect something not perceived through the senses: Wilson conceived of a world free from war. To realize is to make an imagined thing real or concrete to oneself, to grasp fully its implications: to realize the extent of one's folly.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• imaginer
  noun
• preimagine
  verb (used with object)
• reimagine
  verb (used with object)
• imaginable
  adjective
• unimagined
  adjective
• well-imagined
  adjective
• imaginably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• imagining
  present
• imagined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• imagine
  simple
• imagines
  simple
• have imagined
  perfect
• has imagined
  perfect
• am imagining
  progressive
• are imagining
  progressive
• is imagining
  progressive
• have been imagining
  perfect progressive
• has been imagining
  perfect progressive

Past

• imagined
  simple
• had imagined
  perfect
• was imagining
  progressive
• were imagining
  progressive
• had been imagining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will imagine
  simple
• will have imagined
  perfect
• will be imagining
  progressive
• will have been imagining
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of imagine

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English imaginen from Middle French imaginer from Latin imāginārī, equivalent to imāgin- (stem of imāgō ) image + -ā- thematic vowel + -rī infinitive ending

Explanation

To imagine something is to picture it in your head. When we imagine things, we're using our imagination. The word image is a good clue to the meaning of imagine, a word for picturing or envisioning things. You could imagine you're a king, an astronaut, a firefighter, or a coyote. You could imagine the earth getting hit by an asteroid. If you can think of it, you can imagine it. Sometimes, imagining means believing or guessing. For example, your teacher could say, "Did you really imagine there would be no homework?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

imagine imagines imagined imagining

To generations of buyers and fans, the phrase “electric Subaru” is cognitively unstable, impossible to imagine, like “coal-fired toothbrush.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

Because they cannot imagine an autumn in which they don't pause to admire the ginkgo at its finest, swathed in a feathery coat of gold.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

In Los Angeles, Saunders says it’s hard to imagine that future, at least for now.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

It’s not hard to imagine this situation getting worse, but don’t forget who’s in control.

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026

Theo, whose evasions still bother me, whose secrets don’t make sense to me, whose secrets I didn’t even imagine existed.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

But a new research note imagines much of those unfilled jobs will go to humanoid robots.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

His “Molto in Cayo Hueso,” for instance, imagines the molto allegro movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor as Cuban danzón.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

One imagines Mike Rogers has enjoyed a lovely Michigan summer.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

Joshua Kushner and his family, one imagines, will not starve.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

His account is vague, but one imagines that *These preposterous tales may actually be true; other amazing Smith stories certainly are.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

That process could help explain why large objects do not remain in the strange combinations of states allowed by quantum mechanics, such as the dead-and-alive situation imagined in Schrödinger's cat thought experiment.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

Mr. Rushdie says he never imagined the book would cause so much trouble.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

He imagined himself as a steroid-enhanced bare-chested wrestler, able to beat actual musclemen at arm-wrestling.

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026

I’m telling you, it’s like I couldn’t have imagined a future like this.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Ambient splashing and conversation from the lake made the perfect soundtrack to what I’d always imagined to be the best first date ever.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Maybe I’m imagining things, but considering that the performances of both teams were equally awful, everyone is really blasting the Chargers while making lots of excuses for the Rams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

You increase it through metacognition, through imagining multiple possible explanations, and through experimenting in small ways that let you learn without losing everything.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

“We’ve been imagining quite a lot,” Ternus said to the hundreds of gathered media in the audience.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Often, the challenge is not imagining how life could produce a signal, but understanding all the ways nature might produce something similar without life.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

I’m sure I’m imagining it, but then Unanimity replaces it in purple.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera