fantasize
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
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to conceive extravagant or whimsical ideas, images, etc
-
(intr) to conceive pleasant or satisfying mental images
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fantasizesimple
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fantasizessimple
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have fantasizedperfect
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has fantasizedperfect
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am fantasizingprogressive
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are fantasizingprogressive
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is fantasizingprogressive
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have been fantasizingperfect progressive
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has been fantasizingperfect progressive
Past
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fantasizedsimple
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had fantasizedperfect
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was fantasizingprogressive
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were fantasizingprogressive
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had been fantasizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fantasize
Explanation
To fantasize is to imagine things that are not true and sometimes not possible. We fantasize about things we wish were real. Have you ever daydreamed that you're a king, or a superstar in the NBA, or able to fly? Then you've been fantasizing. Fantasizing is something everyone does, though we all have different fantasies. You can fantasize about things that are possible or impossible, including being the President, riding a unicorn, or being the President of unicorns. You can fantasize about anything you can imagine.
Vocabulary lists containing fantasize
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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.
See Examples For:
If you fantasize about retiring abroad, stories of blissful expats will only stoke your desire.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
But to my eyes, this fandom appears to be a place where anyone is welcome to fantasize, dream, draw, speculate or just plain geek out.
From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2026
“If I did nothing but eat and lift for six months,” a football fan might fantasize, “I could be a walk-on at the next Jets training camp.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
That permission to fantasize might be the biggest gift of all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025
I used to fantasize about taking the Mensa test to prove that I wasn’t a total loser.
From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Walter Mitty is a term sometimes used to describe a person who fantasizes about a life more interesting and exciting than their own.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
The book takes place in the fictional hamlet of Swampshire, where Beatrice Steele lives with her family, fantasizes about solving crimes, and worries about what happens to women who step outside their societal spheres.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 11, 2023
On the last day of work for Bringley, who a decade later is still a young man, Joseph fantasizes about his own future in their shared language of art.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 9, 2023
He chases real-estate deals; he gins up a hapless business selling ad space on takeout containers; he fantasizes about appearing on “Shark Tank.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2022
She fantasizes that the next place she goes—because there’s always a next place, another foster home, a new school—she’ll start over with a new, easier-to-maintain look.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
On the journey to the U.S., they fantasized about what classes would be offered at their new school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
I immediately fantasized about changing my no-dog policy to “second dogs are OK—at $500 a month.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
At least that’s what one improbable image fantasized in a recent slew of AI-generated “wedding photos” circulating online.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
What active trader hasn’t fantasized about stepping out of their time-traveling DeLorean in October 1929, 1987 or 2007 with a wad of cash?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
Whatever they fantasized about, it all seemed possible that day.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
While starving and battling lice, the young women distracted themselves by fantasizing about food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
The narrator begins fantasizing about Sheila’s handsome Vietnamese vet — so vividly that he appears in her kitchen one day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
But this wasn’t merely a spectacle of a man engaged in otherworldly fantasizing.
From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2025
For music lovers fantasizing about their summer concert plans, it’s almost time to wash those picnic blankets and stock up on your favorite snacks.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
I’m still fantasizing that a deus ex machina will descend from the heavens to resolve the situation.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
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.
