imply
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to express or indicate by a hint; suggest
what are you implying by that remark?
-
to suggest or involve as a necessary consequence
-
logic to enable (a conclusion) to be inferred
-
obsolete to entangle or enfold
Usage
See infer.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
implysimple
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impliessimple
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have impliedperfect
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has impliedperfect
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am implyingprogressive
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are implyingprogressive
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is implyingprogressive
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have been implyingperfect progressive
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has been implyingperfect progressive
Past
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impliedsimple
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had impliedperfect
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was implyingprogressive
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were implyingprogressive
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had been implyingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
Bloomberg said it did not imply any wrongdoing and had used them as examples of a broader trend.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“I was concerned about how that might be perceived and whether it would hold me back from getting promotions,” he said, or that it would imply that he was “lacking in ambition.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
The analyst writes in a note that the draft report’s recommendations imply a headwind of 70 million Australian dollars to Pexa’s fiscal 2028 revenue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
The ruling—which wasn’t a surprise after justices expressed skepticism about the government’s case during oral arguments in January—provided the central bank with more of a boost than the narrow ruling would imply on first glance.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
I watched them whirl past my window— don’t take this seriously, the playful way they fell seemed to imply, this little show, this harmless trick.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
That implies the market has been only pricing in “a modest geopolitical premium,” the J.P.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
That implies that while scrapping the digital ID scheme will reduce a spending pressure on the government it will not, in itself, pay for the VAT cut.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
This history implies a high probability that the junk spread will be significantly higher within the next year or two.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
“The updated guide implies a material ramp in capex through year-end with nearly $60B in quarterly capex in 3Q and 4Q,” the analysts write.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
And since seeing implies seers, we no longer have to refer to paragraphs “demonstrating” some things and sections “summarizing” other things, as if blocks of printing had a mind of their own.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
The broker cuts its target on the Carnaby to A$0.77, from A$0.96, to align with Evolution’s implied offer price.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
He implied that Houthi forces could target Saudi oil-production facilities, something they have done in the past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The judge found that when read as a whole, the piece implied wrongdoing by the ministers as it also mentioned secrecy and money laundering.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Even more ominously, the low in implied correlation in 2024 occurred on July 3, the same day USD/JPY peaked.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Though not as tall or physically commanding as Bull’s, Captain Brannon’s body was stacked together with the knotted muscles of a stevedore, and an implied menace shadowed his whole appearance.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Macquarie rates SpaceX’s stock at outperform with a $250 price target, implying room to more than double off Monday’s closing price of $119.85 a share.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
They upgraded EchoStar’s stock to a strong buy with a $115 price target, implying a 25% hike from current trading levels.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Taiwan Semiconductor’s June revenue jumped 68% from a year earlier, hitting a record and implying second-quarter revenue of $39.55 billion, slightly above analyst estimates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Target was up 2.8% to $133.32 early Tuesday morning, after Wolfe analyst Spencer Hanus boosted his rating on the shares to Outperform from Peer Perform, establishing a $162 price target, implying more than 20% upside.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
You could go around implying you’d read all kinds of things, nodding knowingly when someone mentioned, say, War and Peace, and the understanding was that no one would scrutinise your claim too rationally.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
