envision
Americanverb (used with object)
-
envisions,
present (3rd person singular)
-
envisioned,
past participle, past
-
envisioning
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
envisionsimple
-
envisionssimple
-
have envisionedperfect
-
has envisionedperfect
-
am envisioningprogressive
-
are envisioningprogressive
-
is envisioningprogressive
-
have been envisioningperfect progressive
-
has been envisioningperfect progressive
Past
-
envisionedsimple
-
had envisionedperfect
-
was envisioningprogressive
-
were envisioningprogressive
-
had been envisioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of envision
Compare meaning
How does envision compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The verb envision means to imagine or picture. Kids often envision themselves doing exciting things when they grow up, like being movie stars, professional athletes, or astronauts. The word envision comes from the Latin en-, which means "cause to be," and visionem, meaning "a thing seen." Career paths aren't the only things that can be envisioned. If you envision a cleaner world, you may volunteer to pick up trash on the beach. If you envision a more peaceful world, you might make your brother and sister play in separate rooms to stop them from screaming at each other.
Vocabulary lists containing envision
"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"'Blaxicans' and Other Reinvented Americans," Vocabulary from the argument
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Earth and Space"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Can you envision a time when you’d stop performing?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
In interviews, McClain Delaney said she regretted the vote and that at the time, she didn’t envision the Trump administration carrying out its mass deportation promises.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
Could he envision a future where he was a major player in the party?
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
But it exposed just how differently certain slices of San Francisco envision what the city should look like, and how to make room for young people and newcomers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
What kind of structures did he envision, and in what style?
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
He envisions going out on a high note.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh envisions a central bank whose interest-rate decisions don’t hinge on the latest monthly data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
This time will be different, the council hopes, as it envisions a subscription-based model whereby vendors pay a fee to access batteries and charging stations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
It’s worth asking whom she envisions as her audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
She envisions an angry goddess stalking the halls, sending curses through the galleries like poison clouds.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
For example, the tube-bunker was initially envisioned as a “completely dark space” twinkling with a variety of malfunctioning countdown clocks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
He ended decades of political dominance by dynastic parties and envisioned a national welfare state modelled on the Islamic golden age of the seventh to 14th centuries, a flourishing period in the Muslim world.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Elon Musk envisioned data centers floating through space.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The obvious adjustment is to increase the maximum to cover about 90% of earnings, as envisioned in the 1983 legislation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
The thought of the flower helped, and she envisioned it in her mind’s eye; she could feel the life of it, pulsing.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
The Rams selected Hunter in the fourth round of the 2025 draft, envisioning the former Auburn standout as a breakaway threat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
You’re envisioning a future in which you might have $100,000 of emergencies.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
He concludes by envisioning the day he’ll see a rabbi in a Reform synagogue wearing a baseball cap.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
To his mother’s delight, he decided he wanted to be a doctor at age 4, after envisioning the doctor who treated his broken arm in Jersey City Hospital as “an angel.”
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
His parents believed in the dignity of the honest trades, envisioning the generations of their family branching into the future, each more accomplished than the last.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
