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

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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

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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

“We weren’t prepared because we just didn’t imagine it. I just want to make sure we are imagining the next fight.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

It’s a sweet aside you could imagine Stallone himself saying.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

During hearings on the case in January, Gambian Justice Minister Dawda Jallow told the court the Rohingya had suffered "the most horrific violence and destruction one could imagine".

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

"She was the friendliest person you can imagine, with lots of energy. She was a light for all of us."

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

I would close my eyes, and try to imagine myself out in the jungle away from everything that was going on, far from the war and all this unhappiness.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

The figure helps introduce the exhibition’s exploration of humanity’s relationship to nature; Albuquerque imagines the character as the maker of her landscape projects and considers her an alter ego.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

But one imagines that, somewhere between the second and third hundred, a person would pause to ask, “You sure you want 260 nuggets, hon?”

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

He imagines Meta has been working on the camera-free glasses for several years, and the current backlash over privacy provides "fantastic timing" for their release.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

In one sequence, he imagines his reply to an interlocutor: “Because she is unknown,” he says, and then, at a loss, “I don’t know.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

He imagines his father wearing an outfit similar to his own, a shawl draped over one shoulder, as he used to during pujo.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

When Ruchira Ranasingha left Sri Lanka almost a decade ago, she could never have imagined she would end up stranded on a tiny archipelago in the South Pacific.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

Cutting through it was less delightful than I’d imagined.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

“This is not a recommendation we ever imagined making.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

As Sarabia, a native plant advocate, stared at it, he imagined a waystation for monarchs on their commutes across Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

I imagined Mrs. Kuen dropping by the shop under the guise of paying a social visit, innocently mentioning to Ma that she’d seen me with James.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Looking at those photos was a “poignant and emotional moment for me,” Pratt said, imagining that soon the risk of them being smashed by cars would drop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

I prefer wandering a local market, imagining what I might make for dinner.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

But are the 70% of Americans who are dissatisfied with higher ed also imagining?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Mr. Schore recommends visualizations—such as imagining “your happy place” during difficult interactions—and affirmations, sometimes speaking to your own reflection.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

“The scariest part was thinking that I was imagining things. I hated doubting myself.”

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

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