fantasize
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to conceive extravagant or whimsical ideas, images, etc
-
(intr) to conceive pleasant or satisfying mental images
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fantasize
Explanation
To fantasize is to imagine things that are not true and sometimes not possible. We fantasize about things we wish were real. Have you ever daydreamed that you're a king, or a superstar in the NBA, or able to fly? Then you've been fantasizing. Fantasizing is something everyone does, though we all have different fantasies. You can fantasize about things that are possible or impossible, including being the President, riding a unicorn, or being the President of unicorns. You can fantasize about anything you can imagine.
Vocabulary lists containing fantasize
Shut Up, This Is Serious
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Legendary Frybread Drive-In
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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.
“If I did nothing but eat and lift for six months,” a football fan might fantasize, “I could be a walk-on at the next Jets training camp.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
The empathic distance that reality TV affords still allows us to not only delight in the Traitors’ impressive murder run but perhaps fantasize as to how well we’d perform in their place.
From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026
In contrast, the empathic distance that reality TV affords still allows us to not only delight in the Traitors’ impressive murder run but perhaps fantasize about how well we’d perform in their place.
From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026
I let myself fantasize about doing the same with my baby, about hearing the cries as soon as he or she emerged instead of eerie silence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
Here are some of the conclusions that I gleaned from conversations with McKinsey executives and from their reports: We Americans often fantasize that German and Japanese industries are super-efficient, exceeding American industries in productivity.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
