image

American  

[im-ij] / ˈɪm ɪdʒ /

noun

• images
  plural

1. a physical likeness or representation of a person, animal, or thing, photographed, painted, sculptured, or otherwise made visible.

2. an optical counterpart or appearance of an object, as is produced by reflection from a mirror, refraction by a lens, or the passage of luminous rays through a small aperture and their reception on a surface.

   Synonyms:

   representation, figure, likeness

3. a mental representation; idea; conception.

   Synonyms:

   notion

4. Psychology. a mental representation of something previously perceived, in the absence of the original stimulus.

5. form; appearance; semblance.

   We are all created in God's image.

6. counterpart; copy.

   That child is the image of his mother.

   Synonyms:

   facsimile

   Antonyms:

   original

7. a symbol; emblem.

8. the general or public perception of a company, public figure, etc., especially as achieved by careful calculation aimed at creating widespread goodwill.

9. a type; embodiment.

   Red-faced and angry, he was the image of frustration.

10. a description of something in speech or writing.

    Keats created some of the most beautiful images in the language.

11. Rhetoric. a figure of speech, especially a metaphor or a simile.

12. an idol or representation of a deity.

    They knelt down before graven images.

13. Mathematics. the point or set of points in the range corresponding to a designated point in the domain of a given function.

14. Archaic. an illusion or apparition.

---

verb (used with object)

• images,
  present (3rd person singular)
• imaged,
  past participle,  past
• imaging
  present participle

1. to picture or represent in the mind; imagine; conceive.

2. to make an image of; portray in sculpture, painting, etc.

3. to project (photographs, film, etc.) on a surface.

   Familiar scenes were imaged on the screen.

4. to reflect the likeness of; mirror.

5. to set forth in speech or writing; describe.

6. to symbolize; typify.

7. to resemble.

8. Informal. to create an image for (a company, public figure, etc.).

   The candidate had to be imaged before being put on the campaign trail.

9. to transform (data) into an exact replica in a different form, as changing digital data to pixels for display on a screen or representing a medical scan of a body part in digital form.

image British  

/ ˈɪmɪdʒ /

noun

1. a representation or likeness of a person or thing, esp in sculpture

2. an optically formed reproduction of an object, such as one formed by a lens or mirror

3. a person or thing that resembles another closely; double or copy

4. a mental representation or picture; idea produced by the imagination

5. the personality presented to the public by a person, organization, etc See also corporate image

   a criminal charge is not good for a politician's image

6. the pattern of light that is focused on to the retina of the eye

7. psychol the mental experience of something that is not immediately present to the senses, often involving memory See also imagery body image hypnagogic image

8. a personification of a specified quality; epitome

   the image of good breeding

9. a mental picture or association of ideas evoked in a literary work, esp in poetry

10. a figure of speech, such as a simile or metaphor

11. maths

    1. (of a point) the value of a function, f( x ), corresponding to the point x

    2. the range of a function

12. an obsolete word for apparition

---

verb

1. to picture in the mind; imagine

2. to make or reflect an image of

3. computing to project or display on a screen or visual display unit

4. to portray or describe

5. to be an example or epitome of; typify

image Idioms  

1. see spitting image.

---

Synonym Usage

Image, icon, idol refer to material representations of persons or things. An image is a representation as in a statue or effigy, and is sometimes regarded as an object of worship: to set up an image of Apollo; an image of a saint. An icon, in the Greek or Eastern Orthodox Church, is a representation of Christ, an angel, or a saint, in painting, relief, mosaic, or the like: At least two icons are found in each church. An idol is an image, statue, or the like representing a deity and worshiped as such: a wooden idol; The heathen worship idols. It may be used figuratively: to make an idol of wealth.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• imager
  noun
• preimage
  noun
• reimage
  verb (used with object)
• imageable
  adjective
• imageless
  adjective
• unimaged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• images
  plural

Participles

• imaging
  present
• imaged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• image
  simple
• images
  simple
• have imaged
  perfect
• has imaged
  perfect
• am imaging
  progressive
• are imaging
  progressive
• is imaging
  progressive
• have been imaging
  perfect progressive
• has been imaging
  perfect progressive

Past

• imaged
  simple
• had imaged
  perfect
• was imaging
  progressive
• were imaging
  progressive
• had been imaging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will image
  simple
• will have imaged
  perfect
• will be imaging
  progressive
• will have been imaging
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of image

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English from Old French image, imagene ( -ene apparently construed as suffix) from Latin imāgin-, stem of imāgō “a copy, likeness,” equivalent to im- ( cf. imitate) + -āgō noun suffix; (verb) Middle English: “to form a mental picture” from Old French imagier, derivative of image

---

Explanation

An image is a picture or other representation of a person or thing, or it can be someone's public perception, like a rock star who tries to change his image by dressing like a professor and learning to play chess. Image has its roots in the Latin word imitari, meaning "to copy or imitate"; images are judged by how realistically they capture the person or thing they show. Images come in various forms — portraits, photographs, paintings, and sculptures. Another kind of image is what we think a public figure like a celebrity is "really like." For example, a flat-broke former millionaire who wants to maintain his image as the money-spending life of the party.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

image images imaged imaging

Whether it’s borrowing from earlier artists, repurposing comics, or creating a series of mirrors, Lichtenstein’s focus on image replication is thoroughly documented in this show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

A landlocked country still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organisational efficiency.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Composer Ari Balouzian borrows bits of Bernard Herrmann’s violin score from “Vertigo” while cinematographer David Bolen makes the audience hold its breath by framing an image of Fielder and Holmes like they might kiss.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

He hopes the image will encourage people to look beyond animals' physical appearance and recognise them as individuals with their own relationships, memories and emotions.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

The image of the cabin stayed in her mind.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Practically all of his images of interiors are impossible or at least implausible.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Those images and the clothing he was wearing at the time of his death were uploaded to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons database.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Speaking of that, the images and the joke, let’s talk about using the AI avatar.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

The BBC also identified what appeared to be at least a couple of stock photographs or AI-generated images used as testimonials on the company's website.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

I took in the decorations: carved wooden lanterns and heavy painted scrolls hanging from the arbor terrace, screens with images of birds of paradise and other floral designs placed around the tables.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

The map was made by cutting the fly brain into 66 pieces, each of which was imaged by repeated rounds of scanning.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Although 88 agents consented to the forensic imaging of their personal phones, Robbins said none of those had been imaged at the time of the hearing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

As one of the coldest planetary-mass companions ever directly imaged, it is so faint that scientists have struggled to analyze its light from Earth.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026

And the fear AI would shrink jobs and replace the functions of whole companies sparked a market rout earlier this week after a research report imaged a dystopian future for the U.S. economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

The particular activity that Reggie had undergone while his brain was being imaged in the tube is called a dual n-back test.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

The analysis focused on participants who had undergone magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, allowing researchers to measure changes in fat deep inside the abdomen.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

This imaging technique uses an extremely fine probe to examine structures at the microscopic scale, allowing researchers to study tiny clusters of proteins and other materials.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

Artificial Intelligence-supported imaging is being used to help clinicians rapidly identify patients who may benefit.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The honour could also go to a new imaging technique, called optical coherence tomography.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

It wasn’t the imaging, or Reggie’s performance on the dual n-back test.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• appearance
• copy
• drawing
• figure
• form
• icon
• illustration
• likeness
• model
• photograph
• picture
• portrait
• statue

---