imply
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to express or indicate by a hint; suggest
what are you implying by that remark?
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to suggest or involve as a necessary consequence
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logic to enable (a conclusion) to be inferred
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obsolete to entangle or enfold
Usage
See infer.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has impliedperfect 3rd person singular
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have impliedperfect
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are implyingprogressive
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has been implyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been implyingperfect progressive
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am implyingprogressive 1st person singular
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is implyingprogressive 3rd person singular
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impliessingular 3rd person
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implyingparticiple
Past
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had impliedperfect
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were implyingprogressive plural
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had been implyingperfect progressive
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impliedparticiple
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impliedsimple
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was implyingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of imply
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English implien, emplien, from Middle French emplier, from Latin implicāre; see implicate
Explanation
Imply means to express, suggest, or show something without stating it directly: A friend’s gruff manner would imply that she’s in a foul mood. The verb imply comes from a Latin word meaning “enfold or entangle” but has come to mean “to hint at.” You might imply something that you don’t want to outright say if you’re feeling coy. If you don’t call someone back after she leaves eight messages, you imply that you don’t want to chat. When you make a subtle suggestion, you imply.
Vocabulary lists containing imply
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Words That Could Go Either Way: Synonyms for "Maybe"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Data from all three ETFs offering pre-IPO exposure to SpaceX as of May 29 imply that they currently value the company at less than the IPO’s $1.75 trillion target, according to Morningstar.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
The red in the tie and the socks imply that he’s hiding underneath all that.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
To call it purgatory would imply that this is not Clark’s final destination.
From Salon • May 30, 2026
They don't specify, but they clearly imply that the emails hacked are those of Ferguson.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
The clothes were worn on Christmas and New Year’s when families paraded their children on the streets in a pageantry designed to imply nonexistent wealth.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
