fantasize
Americanverb (used without object)
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fantasizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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fantasized,
past participle, past
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fantasizing
present participle
verb (used with object)
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fantasizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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fantasized,
past participle, past
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fantasizing
present participle
verb
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to conceive extravagant or whimsical ideas, images, etc
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(intr) to conceive pleasant or satisfying mental images
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fantasizesimple
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fantasizessimple
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have fantasizedperfect
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has fantasizedperfect
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am fantasizingprogressive
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are fantasizingprogressive
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is fantasizingprogressive
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have been fantasizingperfect progressive
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has been fantasizingperfect progressive
Past
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fantasizedsimple
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had fantasizedperfect
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was fantasizingprogressive
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were fantasizingprogressive
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had been fantasizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fantasize
Explanation
To fantasize is to imagine things that are not true and sometimes not possible. We fantasize about things we wish were real. Have you ever daydreamed that you're a king, or a superstar in the NBA, or able to fly? Then you've been fantasizing. Fantasizing is something everyone does, though we all have different fantasies. You can fantasize about things that are possible or impossible, including being the President, riding a unicorn, or being the President of unicorns. You can fantasize about anything you can imagine.
Vocabulary lists containing fantasize
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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:
Some fantasize about running around with their grandchildren.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
If you fantasize about retiring abroad, stories of blissful expats will only stoke your desire.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
“If I did nothing but eat and lift for six months,” a football fan might fantasize, “I could be a walk-on at the next Jets training camp.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
In contrast, the empathic distance that reality TV affords still allows us to not only delight in the Traitors’ impressive murder run but perhaps fantasize about how well we’d perform in their place.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026
I wrote this on a piece of paper, dropped it into the prayer box, and began to fantasize about how they would arrive, in a package from Sears, Roebuck.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
Humans are probably the only species on Earth that actively fantasizes about its own extinction — and definitely the only one that actively participates in it.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
Walter Mitty is a term sometimes used to describe a person who fantasizes about a life more interesting and exciting than their own.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
Instead, he fantasizes about resettling in the Ukraine and forging a life that might command the respect he craves from his parents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2025
The book takes place in the fictional hamlet of Swampshire, where Beatrice Steele lives with her family, fantasizes about solving crimes, and worries about what happens to women who step outside their societal spheres.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 11, 2023
Enrique fantasizes about Lourdes’s expected homecoming in December.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Duchamp’s seeming disinterest often revealed itself to be something far more venomous, as when he fantasized about a nihilistic readymade: “Use a Rembrandt as an ironing board.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
At least that’s what one improbable image fantasized in a recent slew of AI-generated “wedding photos” circulating online.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
Ever since, Bamberger had fantasized about doing the same.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
I ate it voraciously and have since fantasized over how I might replicate it at home, especially during the summertime — but I've yet to come close.
From Salon ● May 30, 2025
Despite the fact that I was so tired that I often fantasized about taking naps, I actually started to think it was possible to start a fashion company.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Along with fantasizing about exotic locations and charming apartments, we encourage you to spend some time on the boring yet important daily life stuff.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The upper floor, featuring the Moncler Grenoble line, has you fantasizing about the chicest après ski outfits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
While starving and battling lice, the young women distracted themselves by fantasizing about food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
I spent a lot of time fantasizing about the brick-and-mortar bakery I’d open one day.
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2025
I’m still fantasizing that a deus ex machina will descend from the heavens to resolve the situation.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
