imply
Americanverb (used with object)
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implies,
present (3rd person singular)
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implied,
past participle, past
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implying
present participle
verb
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to express or indicate by a hint; suggest
what are you implying by that remark?
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to suggest or involve as a necessary consequence
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logic to enable (a conclusion) to be inferred
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obsolete to entangle or enfold
Usage
See infer.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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implysimple
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impliessimple
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have impliedperfect
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has impliedperfect
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am implyingprogressive
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are implyingprogressive
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is implyingprogressive
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have been implyingperfect progressive
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has been implyingperfect progressive
Past
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impliedsimple
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had impliedperfect
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was implyingprogressive
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were implyingprogressive
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had been implyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of imply
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English implien, emplien, from Middle French emplier, from Latin implicāre; see implicate
Explanation
Imply means to express, suggest, or show something without stating it directly: A friend’s gruff manner would imply that she’s in a foul mood. The verb imply comes from a Latin word meaning “enfold or entangle” but has come to mean “to hint at.” You might imply something that you don’t want to outright say if you’re feeling coy. If you don’t call someone back after she leaves eight messages, you imply that you don’t want to chat. When you make a subtle suggestion, you imply.
Vocabulary lists containing imply
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Words That Could Go Either Way: Synonyms for "Maybe"
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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:
In June regulatory filings that disclosed the $21 billion in restatements, each insurer labeled them as “corrections of errors,” which would imply that they were inadvertent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
"While these are merely requests and do not imply that visitors will be forcibly asked to leave, we earnestly ask for your understanding of the intent behind these guidelines and your cooperation," its statement said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
“Fed fund futures now imply a 57% of no rate change in September, from a 54% chance of a hike before” the report, the senior market analyst notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Like Bank of America’s analyst team, Muse and his colleagues forecast the SK Hynix growth to be longer-lasting than recent share price behavior might imply:
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
As I said, I thought at first that the no boundary condition did indeed imply that disorder would decrease in the contracting phase.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Mr. Bessent’s reference to Emirati exchange houses implies he knows this.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Not all cancers do, and that implies the vaccine’s success in melanoma may not translate to other types of cancer it’s being tested in, such as renal-cell carcinoma and bladder cancer.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
"This implies that viviparity among early cynodonts originated in the mammalian lineage at least 95 to 90 million years earlier than previously thought."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
The verb itself implies young women are turning down viable offers, but no evidence exists for such a claim.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
The rhyme itself implies that there is an inherent dialogue between the two mothers.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The chart below compares Nvidia’s implied move ahead of its earnings reports with how its stock performed in the following session.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Smith also implied that instead of being hammered by the NABJ, he should be celebrated because he is about to be inducted into the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Offering either an explicit or implied guarantee that government-funding markets will remain open and liquid means hedge funds have less risk of being unable to finance highly leveraged trades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Realized volatility and implied volatility are getting really tight, and there’s probably not much room for them to tighten further,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
The women looked at him; their puzzled expressions implied that he could not possibly be serious.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The price target among analysts is $226.26, according to FactSet data, implying room to run 62% above Wednesday’s close.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
"In one of our strains, we saw that offspring from older mothers had a longer lifespan, implying a genetic mechanism may be involved in that beneficial effect."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
Patterson's team say they were inconsistent about a motive, starting the trial by saying they wouldn't argue a particular motive, but ending it by implying there was one.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The film introduces us to Ricky Bobby’s family with a gross-out splat, implying the soon-to-be stock car racer was born in the back of a speeding Chevelle driven by his reprobate father.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Bobby had refused to append his name, implying his own doubt as to the girl’s paternity.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
