imagine

American  

[ih-maj-in] / ɪˈmædʒ ɪn /

verb (used with object)

imagined, imagining

1. to form a mental image of (something not actually present to the senses).

   Synonyms:

   picture, image

2. to think, believe, or fancy.

   He imagined the house was haunted.

3. to assume; suppose.

   I imagine they'll be here soon.

4. to conjecture; guess.

   I cannot imagine what you mean.

5. Archaic. to plan, scheme, or plot.

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verb (used without object)

imagined, imagining

1. to form mental images of things not present to the senses; use the imagination.

2. to suppose; think; conjecture.

imagine British  

/ ɪˈmædʒɪn /

verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to form a mental image of

2. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to think, believe, or guess

3. (tr; takes a clause as object) to suppose; assume

   I imagine he'll come

4. (tr; takes a clause as object) to believe or assume without foundation

   he imagines he knows the whole story

5. an archaic word for plot 1

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1. Also: imagine that!.  an exclamation of surprise

Usage

What does imagine mean? To imagine is to form a mental likeness of something or someone not present, as in Imagine flying in a rocket to Mars. To imagine also means to think of something, especially in a way that it is not currently, as in Imagine what the house might look like after all these years. To imagine is also to assume, as in Oh dear, the teacher imagined that we all did our homework. Finally, to imagine can mean to guess, as in Can you imagine what it would be like for it to snow in the summer?Example: I can’t imagine they will take much longer, so we should just wait here.

Related Words

Imagine, conceive, conceive of, realize refer to bringing something before the mind. To imagine is, literally, to form a mental image of something: to imagine yourself in London. To conceive is to form something by using one's imagination: How has the author conceived the first act of his play? To conceive of is to comprehend through the intellect something not perceived through the senses: Wilson conceived of a world free from war. To realize is to make an imagined thing real or concrete to oneself, to grasp fully its implications: to realize the extent of one's folly.

Other Word Forms

• imaginable
  adjective
• imaginably
  adverb
• imaginer
  noun
• preimagine
  verb (used with object)
• reimagine
  verb (used with object)
• unimagined
  adjective
• well-imagined
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of imagine

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English imaginen from Middle French imaginer from Latin imāginārī, equivalent to imāgin- (stem of imāgō ) image + -ā- thematic vowel + -rī infinitive ending

Explanation

To imagine something is to picture it in your head. When we imagine things, we're using our imagination. The word image is a good clue to the meaning of imagine, a word for picturing or envisioning things. You could imagine you're a king, an astronaut, a firefighter, or a coyote. You could imagine the earth getting hit by an asteroid. If you can think of it, you can imagine it. Sometimes, imagining means believing or guessing. For example, your teacher could say, "Did you really imagine there would be no homework?"

Example Sentences

"I can't imagine any other group of people being asked to leave a coffee shop," said Griffin, adding that he thought there would be "outrage" if elderly people or mums with babies were thrown out.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

For minerals you could imagine the “gravel” to be atomic elements, the “bucket” to be a cosmic cloud where atoms can bind into molecules and the feature of interest being chemical stability.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

“I thought it was interesting to imagine: What is that in reality? What would that feel like day to day? What was his domestic situation?” he continues.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

You could easily imagine these clothes on a marketing exec at the office, a buyer at fashion week or an author on book tour.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

I couldn’t imagine what she meant by that and wondered if I was supposed to ask.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu