imagine
[ ih-maj-in ]
/ ɪˈmædʒ ɪn /
Save This Word!
verb (used with object), im·ag·ined, im·ag·in·ing.
verb (used without object), im·ag·ined, im·ag·in·ing.
to form mental images of things not present to the senses; use the imagination.
to suppose; think; conjecture.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
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
synonym study for imagine
1. 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 WORDS FROM imagine
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use imagine in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for imagine
imagine
/ (ɪˈmædʒɪn) /
verb
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to form a mental image of
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to think, believe, or guess
(tr; takes a clause as object) to suppose; assumeI imagine he'll come
(tr; takes a clause as object) to believe or assume without foundationhe imagines he knows the whole story
an archaic word for plot 1
sentence substitute
Also: imagine that! an exclamation of surprise
Derived forms of imagine
imaginable, adjectiveimaginably, adverbimaginer, nounWord Origin for imagine
C14: from Latin imāginārī to fancy, picture mentally, from imāgō likeness; see image
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012