imagine

[ ih-maj-in ]

/ ɪˈmædʒ ɪn /

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See synonyms for: imagine / imagined / imagining on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), im·ag·ined, im·ag·in·ing.

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

to think, believe, or fancy: He imagined the house was haunted.

to assume; suppose: I imagine they'll be here soon.

to conjecture; guess: I cannot imagine what you mean.

Archaic. to plan, scheme, or plot.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR imagine

1 image, picture.

See synonyms for imagine on Thesaurus.com

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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

i·mag·in·er, nounpre·im·ag·ine, verb (used with object), pre·im·ag·ined, pre·im·ag·in·ing.re·i·mag·ine, verb (used with object), re·i·mag·ined, re·i·mag·in·ing.un·im·ag·ined, adjective

well-i·mag·ined, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use imagine in a sentence

A new book from Mallory Ortberg imagines what literary legends including King Lear and Jane Eyre would have texted.
What Would Jane Eyre Sext?|Jennie Yabroff|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He also imagines her dancing a sexually aggressive spotlit dance.
In Defense of American Apparel: Why a Hitched-Up Skirt Barely Conceals a Profound Social Confusion|Tim Teeman|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The hybrid alliance is something of a Frankenstein monster where every arm imagines itself the brain.
With Friends Like These, ISIS Is Doomed|Jacob Siegel|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Most bravely perhaps, Maka, 45, imagines some comedic moments.
The Surprisingly Good Flight 370 Novel: Author Scott Maka Defends His Controversial Book|Tim Teeman|June 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In those anonymous italics again, Kibbe imagines unnamed folks saying, “Check this out: This senator is speaking truth to power.”
Why The Tea Party Won’t Go Away And More Wisdom From Matt Kibbe|Michael Signer|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The unindustrious pupil imagines that “p” represents 8, and not “f” or “v,” and translates 1845 into “To pour oil” .
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
A shallow mind thinks his writings divine; a man of sense imagines he writes tolerably well.
The 'Characters' of Jean de La Bruyre|Jean de La Bruyre
Imagines much trouble with automobile, talk very technical & can't make head or tail of it.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
Subsequent adjustment may not be as satisfactory as she imagines it to be.
Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents|Oswald Chettle Mazengarb et al.
The traveler to whom St. Petersburg is unknown, imagines the city as ancient, picturesque and irregular.
Ways of War and Peace|Delia Austrian

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, noun

Word 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

imagine

OTHER WORDS FOR imagine

Origin of imagine

synonym study for imagine

OTHER WORDS FROM imagine

Words related to imagine

How to use imagine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for imagine

Derived forms of imagine

Word Origin for imagine