imbue
Americanverb (used with object)
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imbues,
present (3rd person singular)
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imbued,
past participle, past
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imbuing
present participle
verb
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to instil or inspire (with ideals, principles, etc)
his sermons were imbued with the spirit of the Reformation
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rare to soak, esp with moisture, dye, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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imbuesimple
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imbuessimple
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have imbuedperfect
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has imbuedperfect
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am imbuingprogressive
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are imbuingprogressive
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is imbuingprogressive
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have been imbuingperfect progressive
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has been imbuingperfect progressive
Past
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imbuedsimple
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had imbuedperfect
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was imbuingprogressive
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were imbuingprogressive
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had been imbuingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of imbue
First recorded in 1545–55, imbue is from the Latin word imbuere “to wet, drench”
Explanation
To imbue is to fill up with or become "soaked" in an idea or emotion, as a sponge takes in water. One visit to a sick relative in a hospital might be enough to imbue a child with a lifelong ambition to become a doctor. You can use imbue in a similar way as "saturate," or "soak through," to describe a filling or absorbing. A "hue" is a color, and it rhymes with imbue. When you're imbued with something, you are, in a way, colored by it. If you imbue a dish sponge with oily orange water from a spaghetti bowl, the color and the oil soak in. To fill people with qualities or emotions is, for example, to imbue them with strength or optimism.
Vocabulary lists containing imbue
Grade 11, List 5
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Death of a Salesman
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The Scarlet Letter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
While eager to imbue him with reverential status, the Party is simultaneously wary that almost any discussion of Mao's legacy could rake up uncomfortable memories.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026
But Roslyn Ruff, a talented actor who speaks the verse with commendable clarity, fails to imbue the character with the necessary domineering imperiousness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
"Artificial intelligence lacks feelings and memories; in short, it has no nafas... It can't imbue it into food."
From Barron's ● Nov. 30, 2025
So when we’re constructing it, we tried to imbue as much meaning as we could put into it and hopefully that would come through.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2024
“No harm will come to it. I may be suffering from brand-fly poison, but I can still imbue a charm or two.”
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Part of that healing process will involve leaning into the humor tat Dodd imbues in his delivery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
MacKay imbues this inarticulate everyman with a guarded vulnerability.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Mr. Bernthal, an Emmy winner for “The Bear,” imbues Sonny with a pinballing energy as he gabbles orders at the hostages and begins flailing negotiations with the cops massing outside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Mr. Menzies imbues Chris with understated intensity as the equilibrium he has established is undermined by Annie’s presence and her barely veiled hostility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
And this hope each heart imbues That the people are forgiving and our errors will excuse!
From Oklahoma Sunshine by Freeman E. (Freeman Edwin) Miller
The new LP is imbued with various Latin genre fusions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
For those who really read it without the false sense of reverence imbued by generations, Homer’s poem has the feel of a fairy tale.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
"Human conversations are imbued with background assumptions that give meaning and relevance to the words being used," Denning explains.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
Because these celebrity exorcists are imbued with a kind of divine authority in their audiences’ minds by their proximity to supernatural matters, their social media followings can be unusually strong and loyal.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
Yossarian was alone in a ponderous, primeval lull in which everything green looked black and everything else was imbued with the color of pus.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Rahele Jomepour Bell’s deft use of acrylic paint and soft pastels evokes a world of hazy tranquility, a palette of greens, golds and oranges imbuing each page with a palpable warmth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
But Demie made her something more, imbuing Maddy with a kind of gravity and depth that made her as infuriating to watch as she was exciting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Halle Berry feels like a big sister, always imbuing a bit of sagacity but distinct youthfulness into every film she does.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
She’s training Claude to detect the difference between right and wrong while imbuing it with unique personality traits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
After forging the blade, she had spent another three months using Transformation to engrave the weapon, imbuing it with its magical properties.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
