imagine

American  

[ih-maj-in] / ɪˈmædʒ ɪn /

verb (used with object)

• imagines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• imagined,
  past participle,  past
• imagining
  present participle

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)

• imagines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• imagined,
  past participle,  past
• imagining
  present participle

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.

Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• imagining
  present
• imagined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• imagine
  simple
• imagines
  simple
• have imagined
  perfect
• has imagined
  perfect
• am imagining
  progressive
• are imagining
  progressive
• is imagining
  progressive
• have been imagining
  perfect progressive
• has been imagining
  perfect progressive

Past

• imagined
  simple
• had imagined
  perfect
• was imagining
  progressive
• were imagining
  progressive
• had been imagining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will imagine
  simple
• will have imagined
  perfect
• will be imagining
  progressive
• will have been imagining
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

imagine imagines imagined imagining

It isn’t too hard to imagine a scenario where a bust squeezes Nvidia from multiple sides.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

I can already imagine it: point your phone at a package of ground beef and wait while a tiny animated horseshoe spins on the screen.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

It also thanked fans who sent messages of support over the past week, adding: "Your words have meant more to the team than you can imagine."

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

"If we have a problem with above-ground mines, you can just imagine what the problem would be for underwater mines," Cunningham said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 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

But a new research note imagines much of those unfilled jobs will go to humanoid robots.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Whether the added punctuation has the effect the author imagines, she’s not wrong to point out that editorial decisions, once made, tend “to stick, informing how future readers will interpret a story or character.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

One imagines Mike Rogers has enjoyed a lovely Michigan summer.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

In his retelling of Homer’s epic poem, Nolan imagines Odysseus as a man haunted by the sacking of Troy.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

So Alyce learned about the sometimes mighty distance between what one imagines and what is.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman

We may be under-modeling one of the most profound possibilities in front of us: that people live significantly longer, healthier and more active lives than prior generations imagined.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

A roast chicken can be imagined burnished and fragrant, surrounded by little potatoes, perhaps with thyme involved.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

There, one song evoked a musical conception he had imagined but never achieved—“it dealt with space, and a logic that rhymed and was almost obtuse,” Mr. Batiste once told me.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

An imagined 2014 case involving State Farm was cited to convince a judge that the company was, ultimately, not responsible for covering all the damage to the plaintiff’s home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

I imagined them seething with jealousy at our private, mother-daughter birthday party.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

The financial industry is very good at imagining market pain.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

One unquestionable element is its success in raising the low estimation of Green Lantern created by a particularly clumsy movie, simply by imagining possibilities in much bigger terms.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

None of this requires imagining a secret plan passed between statehouses.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

I was imagining what it would be like to be her, so perfectly balanced en pointe, the embodiment of feminine beauty and grace.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

I have not only avoided Jakob, I’ve also succeeded in temporarily imagining he does not exist.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin