imbue
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to instil or inspire (with ideals, principles, etc)
his sermons were imbued with the spirit of the Reformation
-
rare to soak, esp with moisture, dye, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of imbue
First recorded in 1545–55, imbue is from the Latin word imbuere “to wet, drench”
Explanation
To imbue is to fill up with or become "soaked" in an idea or emotion, as a sponge takes in water. One visit to a sick relative in a hospital might be enough to imbue a child with a lifelong ambition to become a doctor. You can use imbue in a similar way as "saturate," or "soak through," to describe a filling or absorbing. A "hue" is a color, and it rhymes with imbue. When you're imbued with something, you are, in a way, colored by it. If you imbue a dish sponge with oily orange water from a spaghetti bowl, the color and the oil soak in. To fill people with qualities or emotions is, for example, to imbue them with strength or optimism.
Vocabulary lists containing imbue
Grade 11, List 5
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Death of a Salesman
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The Scarlet Letter
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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.
Blest Spirit of my God and Lord, Preserve me in Thy way and word, Imbue me with Thy life and breath, Console me in the hour of death.
From Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark by Aaberg, J. C. (Jens Christian)
Imbue, im-bū′, v.t. to moisten: to tinge deeply: to cause to imbibe, as the mind.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Sad waves then cease thy moaning—let hope's resplendent rays Imbue my heart with courage—God's love's with me always.
From Poems A Message of Hope by Walton, Mary Alice
Martyr, or King, or sainted Eremite, Whoe'er ye be, that thus, yourselves unseen, Imbue your prison-bars with solemn sheen, Shine on, until ye fade, with coming night.
From A Short Account of King's College Chapel by Littlechild, Walter Poole
Hinc montem securus adi, pressoque ligone Perfossos scrutare cauos; mox �re crumenas Imbue, completamque reduc ad littora puppim.
From Beowulf An Introduction to the Study of the Poem with a Discussion of the Stories of Offa and Finn by Chambers, R. W.
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.
