imply
Americanverb (used with object)
-
implies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
implied,
past participle, past
-
implying
present participle
verb
-
to express or indicate by a hint; suggest
what are you implying by that remark?
-
to suggest or involve as a necessary consequence
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logic to enable (a conclusion) to be inferred
-
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
-
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:
Fewer shorts, buybacks ending, no inflows and too many longs imply no recovery is imminent, says a JPMorgan strategist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
That certainly seems to imply that the current bull market is getting long in the tooth.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham appeared at Missouri’s homecoming game with a hat bearing a slogan that seemed to imply that transgender women are not actually women.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The high times, prosecutors seemed to imply, had been bankrolled by the Roebucks’ cash.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
When Agnew heard Bliss imply that Garfield would be cured, he told a friend privately that he long believed the case was hopeless.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
The 200-DMA currently extends to 24,919, according to FactSet data, which implies 4.7% downside from Friday’s close.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Dan Bird, from cyber security firm Horizon3 says the pop up message the criminals sent implies that their access has gone beyond the Snowflake database.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
A dose implies only a portion — which probably means more hikes may come down the road.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026
Assuming equal treatment for Viridis implies a value of greater than A$5.00/share, the broker says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Perfection implies that there really is a right and wrong way to be.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
In its early years, Facebook was known to operate under a philosophy of "move fast and break things," but more recently, Zuckerberg implied Meta would balance safety with speed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
That implied that the effect of the subsidy terminations had slowed, in the view of market analysts at Cox Automotive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
“You don’t have to promise a path of rates for people to find an implied path of rates,” said Eric Rosengren, who was president of the Boston Fed from 2007 to 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
In North Carolina, our curiosity would have to be implied.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Hercules paid no attention to the implied excuse.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Vance implying Talarico is gay and the time Talarico called God nonbinary.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
The game's PlayStation Store listing currently states "Grand Theft Auto VI is a single-player experience" - implying there will be no online mode at launch.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
But UK defence minister Wes Streeting said the woman only had a "partial picture", implying police were aware of the situation before they were alerted.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The analysts also cut their price target to $30 from $47, with the new target implying room to fall 16% from current levels.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
“I promise you I wasn’t implying that our mom situations are remotely the same—I’m so sorry, Rae!”
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
