imagine

[ ih-maj-in ]

verb (used with object)

, im·ag·ined, im·ag·in·ing.

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.

verb (used without object)

, im·ag·ined, im·ag·in·ing.

1. to form mental images of things not present to the senses; use the imagination.
2. to suppose; think; conjecture.

imagine

/ 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. See plot
   an archaic word for plot 1

sentence substitute

1. Alsoimagine that! an exclamation of surprise

Derived Forms

• imˈaginably, adverb
• imˈaginer, noun
• imˈaginable, adjective

Other Words From

• i·magin·er noun
• preim·agine verb (used with object) preimagined preimagining
• rei·magine verb (used with object) reimagined reimagining
• unim·agined adjective
• well-i·magined adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of imagine¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of imagine¹

C14: from Latin imāginārī to fancy, picture mentally, from imāgō likeness; see image

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

It’s hard to even imagine school without a classic Mead Composition Book.

From Popular-Science

Just imagine if the more than 200,000 people who voted in Jefferson County, Kentucky, during the primary had actually shown up at the county’s only polling location.

From Popular-Science

“It’s actually not possible to imagine an AP class being shut down abruptly at Scripps Ranch High or many others,” Lewis writes.

From Voice of San Diego

It’s actually not possible to imagine an AP class being shut down abruptly at Scripps Ranch High or many others.

From Voice of San Diego

Now imagine that you want to insert a new edge connecting two nodes in a planar graph, say nodes 1 and 6 in the example below.

From Quanta Magazine

“You can imagine the sound of that gun on a Bronx street,” Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce says.

From The Daily Beast

Imagine waking up to find a guy who looks like a tech startup employee eating your charred crispy leg.

From The Daily Beast

If you think divorce between two people is messy and traumatic, imagine divorcing yourself.

From The Daily Beast

Imagine living 28 years—your whole life—trapped inside the wrong body.

From The Daily Beast

Now imagine that one day hope appeared, an unexpected opportunity to free yourself, to finally be yourself.

From The Daily Beast

I would ask you to imagine it translated into every language, a common material of understanding throughout all the world.

From Project Gutenberg

And furthermore, I imagine something else about this—quite unlike the old Bible—I imagine all of it periodically revised.

From Project Gutenberg

You may imagine the effect this missive produced upon the proud, high-minded doctor of divinity.

From Project Gutenberg

We can imagine that, as soon as a printed book ceased to be a great rarity, it became an object of great abhorrence.

From Project Gutenberg

I thought you said Meadowville, and never havin' been there, I didn't see how I could imagine the station.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Imagine

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.

Where does imagine come from?

The first records of the term imagine come from the 1300s. It ultimately comes from the Latin imāginārī.

Imagine is sometimes used for describing daydreaming, especially about something that you might find pleasant but probably cannot happen. A famous example of this is John Lennon’s song “Imagine,” which asks the listener to imagine a world without greed, hatred, or suffering. And in his song “God’s Plan,” which is about his belief that everything happens for a reason, Drake sings, “Imagine if I never met the broskis.”

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to imagine?

• imaginer (noun)
• imagineer (noun)
• reimagine (verb)
• unimagined (adjective)

What are some synonyms for imagine?

• brainstorm
• visualize
• believe
• conjecture

What are some words that share a root or word element with imagine? 

• image
• imaginary
• imagination

What are some words that often get used in discussing imagine?

• fantasy
• mental
• plan
• scheme

How is imagine used in real life?

Imagine is commonly used in casual conversations to talk about forming mental images.

Could you imagine loving and raising a child only to have that child record a live concert on their phone?

— Cole M. Sprouse (@colesprouse) April 15, 2018

My life is strange imagine living in a dream world that u didn't dream

— Liam (@LiamPayne) June 2, 2014

 

 

 

Try using imagine!

Is imagine used correctly in the following sentence?

Imagine what it must be like to cross the Shibuya Scramble Crossing.