imply
Americanverb (used with object)
-
implies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
implied,
past participle, past
-
implying
present participle
verb
-
to express or indicate by a hint; suggest
what are you implying by that remark?
-
to suggest or involve as a necessary consequence
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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
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implysimple
-
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
-
has been implyingperfect progressive
Past
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impliedsimple
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had impliedperfect
-
was implyingprogressive
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were implyingprogressive
-
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:
“There’s no denying: execution risk seems high, and bearish scenarios imply >50% downside potential,” Potter wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham appeared at Missouri’s homecoming game with a hat bearing a slogan that seemed to imply that transgender women are not actually women.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
None of these metrics imply that the market can’t continue to rise for the next year or two, especially if corporate earnings continue to grow rapidly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
The high times, prosecutors seemed to imply, had been bankrolled by the Roebucks’ cash.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
However the applause that greeted him seemed to imply that he was as popular as any of the talented musicians who had played before him.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
She set a $230 price target for the stock, which implies about 15% upside from current prices.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Dan Bird, from cyber security firm Horizon3 says the pop up message the criminals sent implies that their access has gone beyond the Snowflake database.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The 15% upper range of this implies around 88.9 pence, which is 3% above consensus expectations, they write.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
A dose implies only a portion — which probably means more hikes may come down the road.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026
“Are you perfect, Bailey? All those A’s—that implies perfection. Is that the answer, Bailey?”
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
In its early years, Facebook was known to operate under a philosophy of "move fast and break things," but more recently, Zuckerberg implied Meta would balance safety with speed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
That implied that the effect of the subsidy terminations had slowed, in the view of market analysts at Cox Automotive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
In North Carolina, our curiosity would have to be implied.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
If I say anything about it being expensive for me to fly from where I’m living, it’s implied that I am bad with money.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
There had always been an implied agreement between Grace and her parents.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
Vance implying Talarico is gay and the time Talarico called God nonbinary.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
He raised his price target to $475 a share from $385 a share, with the new target implying room for the stock to rise 30% from current levels.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The game's PlayStation Store listing currently states "Grand Theft Auto VI is a single-player experience" - implying there will be no online mode at launch.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
But UK defence minister Wes Streeting said the woman only had a "partial picture", implying police were aware of the situation before they were alerted.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Other studies, which analyze plumes of gas or the number of gravitational lenses in a given field of view, also support the supernova results, implying that the cosmos will expand forever.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
