imply
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to express or indicate by a hint; suggest
what are you implying by that remark?
-
to suggest or involve as a necessary consequence
-
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
-
implysimple
-
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
-
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:
Those prices imply a lot of good times ahead for the megaclients of the megabanks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Bloomberg said it did not imply any wrongdoing and had used them as examples of a broader trend.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
She said it in a way that seemed to imply that we should be giving more.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
The ruling—which wasn’t a surprise after justices expressed skepticism about the government’s case during oral arguments in January—provided the central bank with more of a boost than the narrow ruling would imply on first glance.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
Regiomontanus’s praise of the mathematical sciences did not, however, imply uncritical admiration for contemporary mathematicians.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
That implies that while scrapping the digital ID scheme will reduce a spending pressure on the government it will not, in itself, pay for the VAT cut.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
This history implies a high probability that the junk spread will be significantly higher within the next year or two.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
He says that the adjusted Ebitda outlook implies a 13% y/y growth, but results and trends suggest upside, especially after a strong June performance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Excluding a one-off gain, the mid-point implies a recurring profit of about HK$4.85 billion, up 33% on year and beating HSBC’s estimates by 32%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
In both cases the existence of the void implies the existence of the infinite.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
That implied probability has risen to about one-third.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
He implied that Houthi forces could target Saudi oil-production facilities, something they have done in the past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The judge found that when read as a whole, the piece implied wrongdoing by the ministers as it also mentioned secrecy and money laundering.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Even more ominously, the low in implied correlation in 2024 occurred on July 3, the same day USD/JPY peaked.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The introduction of a new meaning for descrobrir implied a radical shift in perspective and a transformation in how people understood their own actions.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
They upgraded EchoStar’s stock to a strong buy with a $115 price target, implying a 25% hike from current trading levels.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Micron shares were trading above $900 when they published their note, implying a multiple of less than 11x normalized earnings per share.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
Cook's comments flagged greater concern over inflation than employment currently, implying that she could support a rate hike down the line.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Under Prologis’s proposal, Segro shareholders would have received 0.084 new Prologis shares for each Segro share held, implying a value of 925 pence a share, the U.S. company said Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
He was perfectly aware of the peril they were in, but he held back from implying that the aeronaut wasn’t.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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.
