image

American  

[im-ij] / ˈɪm ɪdʒ /

noun

• images
  plural

1. a physical likeness or representation of a person, animal, or thing, photographed, painted, sculptured, or otherwise made visible.

2. an optical counterpart or appearance of an object, as is produced by reflection from a mirror, refraction by a lens, or the passage of luminous rays through a small aperture and their reception on a surface.

   Synonyms:

   representation, figure, likeness

3. a mental representation; idea; conception.

   Synonyms:

   notion

4. Psychology. a mental representation of something previously perceived, in the absence of the original stimulus.

5. form; appearance; semblance.

   We are all created in God's image.

6. counterpart; copy.

   That child is the image of his mother.

   Synonyms:

   facsimile

   Antonyms:

   original

7. a symbol; emblem.

8. the general or public perception of a company, public figure, etc., especially as achieved by careful calculation aimed at creating widespread goodwill.

9. a type; embodiment.

   Red-faced and angry, he was the image of frustration.

10. a description of something in speech or writing.

    Keats created some of the most beautiful images in the language.

11. Rhetoric. a figure of speech, especially a metaphor or a simile.

12. an idol or representation of a deity.

    They knelt down before graven images.

13. Mathematics. the point or set of points in the range corresponding to a designated point in the domain of a given function.

14. Archaic. an illusion or apparition.

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verb (used with object)

• images,
  present (3rd person singular)
• imaged,
  past participle,  past
• imaging
  present participle

1. to picture or represent in the mind; imagine; conceive.

2. to make an image of; portray in sculpture, painting, etc.

3. to project (photographs, film, etc.) on a surface.

   Familiar scenes were imaged on the screen.

4. to reflect the likeness of; mirror.

5. to set forth in speech or writing; describe.

6. to symbolize; typify.

7. to resemble.

8. Informal. to create an image for (a company, public figure, etc.).

   The candidate had to be imaged before being put on the campaign trail.

9. to transform (data) into an exact replica in a different form, as changing digital data to pixels for display on a screen or representing a medical scan of a body part in digital form.

image British  

/ ˈɪmɪdʒ /

noun

1. a representation or likeness of a person or thing, esp in sculpture

2. an optically formed reproduction of an object, such as one formed by a lens or mirror

3. a person or thing that resembles another closely; double or copy

4. a mental representation or picture; idea produced by the imagination

5. the personality presented to the public by a person, organization, etc See also corporate image

   a criminal charge is not good for a politician's image

6. the pattern of light that is focused on to the retina of the eye

7. psychol the mental experience of something that is not immediately present to the senses, often involving memory See also imagery body image hypnagogic image

8. a personification of a specified quality; epitome

   the image of good breeding

9. a mental picture or association of ideas evoked in a literary work, esp in poetry

10. a figure of speech, such as a simile or metaphor

11. maths

    1. (of a point) the value of a function, f( x ), corresponding to the point x

    2. the range of a function

12. an obsolete word for apparition

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verb

1. to picture in the mind; imagine

2. to make or reflect an image of

3. computing to project or display on a screen or visual display unit

4. to portray or describe

5. to be an example or epitome of; typify

image Idioms  

1. see spitting image.

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Synonym Usage

Image, icon, idol refer to material representations of persons or things. An image is a representation as in a statue or effigy, and is sometimes regarded as an object of worship: to set up an image of Apollo; an image of a saint. An icon, in the Greek or Eastern Orthodox Church, is a representation of Christ, an angel, or a saint, in painting, relief, mosaic, or the like: At least two icons are found in each church. An idol is an image, statue, or the like representing a deity and worshiped as such: a wooden idol; The heathen worship idols. It may be used figuratively: to make an idol of wealth.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• imager
  noun
• preimage
  noun
• reimage
  verb (used with object)
• imageable
  adjective
• imageless
  adjective
• unimaged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• images
  plural

Participles

• imaging
  present
• imaged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• image
  simple
• images
  simple
• have imaged
  perfect
• has imaged
  perfect
• am imaging
  progressive
• are imaging
  progressive
• is imaging
  progressive
• have been imaging
  perfect progressive
• has been imaging
  perfect progressive

Past

• imaged
  simple
• had imaged
  perfect
• was imaging
  progressive
• were imaging
  progressive
• had been imaging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will image
  simple
• will have imaged
  perfect
• will be imaging
  progressive
• will have been imaging
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of image

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English from Old French image, imagene ( -ene apparently construed as suffix) from Latin imāgin-, stem of imāgō “a copy, likeness,” equivalent to im- ( cf. imitate) + -āgō noun suffix; (verb) Middle English: “to form a mental picture” from Old French imagier, derivative of image

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Explanation

An image is a picture or other representation of a person or thing, or it can be someone's public perception, like a rock star who tries to change his image by dressing like a professor and learning to play chess. Image has its roots in the Latin word imitari, meaning "to copy or imitate"; images are judged by how realistically they capture the person or thing they show. Images come in various forms — portraits, photographs, paintings, and sculptures. Another kind of image is what we think a public figure like a celebrity is "really like." For example, a flat-broke former millionaire who wants to maintain his image as the money-spending life of the party.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

image images imaged imaging

There may be more truth in this image than Woodward recognizes.

From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2026

Governments and tech giants have been pouring huge sums into building data centres that can train and run AI tools such as chatbots, image generators and agents that can execute tasks.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026

As social media personalities rely increasingly on an image of authenticity, some are now touting their independence as a way to stand out.

From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026

They erected a 45-foot statue in his honor, painted murals with his likeness, and plastered his image on t-shirts, with Leo wearing an Andean poncho or munching on ceviche.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

Toward the end of the twentieth century, scientists will invent brain scanners that can "image" the electrical and chemical activity inside a living brain.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Aides and Macron immediately rushed towards the stricken guard, images from an AFP photographer showed.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026

Two centuries after Niépce, we are in an era of ubiquitous cellphone images and problematic artificial-intelligence creations; “Photography’s First Century” takes us back to where we started.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

The mission was considered a failure for years, however, in January 2015 images taken by US space agency Nasa showed the lander had reached the surface safely.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

Using experimental information gathered from three-dimensional images of developing embryonic skin, the researchers adapted their simulations to reflect the spiny mouse's particular biochemical characteristics and the way its skin grows.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2026

A thousand images raced through Michael’s mind, all of them horrifying.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

The map was made by cutting the fly brain into 66 pieces, each of which was imaged by repeated rounds of scanning.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

The researchers directly imaged Betelgeuse B, meaning they detected light coming from the companion itself.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

Frimpong said that since the June hearing, the goverment has not supplied information suggesting that personal phones are now beginning to be imaged.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Beta Pictoris d is the first directly imaged planet discovered primarily through moderate resolution spectroscopy.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

Mickey Hart’s is one among many brains Dr. Gazzaley has imaged.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

To investigate how these changes occur, the research team developed an unusual experimental setup that combined augmented reality with real-time brain imaging.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

Day added that "despite a substantial increase in demand for imaging services", partnering with a third-party provider had contributed to a decline in waiting times for scans and results since April.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

The biomarker remained significantly associated with cognitive impairment even after researchers accounted for amyloid-beta plaques, which are abnormal protein deposits in the brain that can be detected with PET imaging.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

It’s also using vastly improved seismic imaging and artificial intelligence tools that can sift through a century’s worth of geological data to help pinpoint potential hot spots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

We line up outside the Hub by last name and proceed through the security check—full-body scanners and luggage imaging like at the airport, but with a ticket to nowhere.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

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Related Words

• appearance
• copy
• drawing
• figure
• form
• icon
• illustration
• likeness
• model
• photograph
• picture
• portrait
• statue

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