imagine

[ih-maj-in]

verb (used with object), im·ag·ined, im·ag·in·ing.

to form a mental image of (something not actually present to the senses).

to think, believe, or fancy: He imagined the house was haunted.

to assume; suppose: I imagine they'll be here soon.

to conjecture; guess: I cannot imagine what you mean.

Archaic. to plan, scheme, or plot.

verb (used without object), im·ag·ined, im·ag·in·ing.

to form mental images of things not present to the senses; use the imagination.

to suppose; think; conjecture.

Origin of imagine

1300–50; Middle English imaginen < Middle French imaginer < Latin imāginārī, equivalent to imāgin- (stem of imāgō) image + -ā- thematic vowel + -rī infinitive ending

Related formsi·mag·in·er, nounpre·im·ag·ine, verb (used with object), pre·im·ag·ined, pre·im·ag·in·ing.re·i·mag·ine, verb (used with object), re·i·mag·ined, re·i·mag·in·ing.un·im·ag·ined, adjectivewell-i·mag·ined, adjective

Synonyms for imagine

1. image, picture. Imagine, conceive, conceive of, realize refer to bringing something before the mind. To imagine is, literally, to form a mental image of something: to imagine yourself in London. To conceive is to form something by using one's imagination: How has the author conceived the first act of his play? To conceive of is to comprehend through the intellect something not perceived through the senses: Wilson conceived of a world free from war. To realize is to make an imagined thing real or concrete to oneself, to grasp fully its implications: to realize the extent of one's folly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for reimagine

Contemporary Examples of reimagine

The cult of corporatism allows us to reimagine the corporation as our ultimate access point to the infinitude of possibility.
All Hail Shingy, AOL’s Goblin King
James Poulos
November 19, 2014
No doubt another Broadway generation will one day find a different, equally exciting way to reimagine this classic.
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Ross Wetzsteon
April 6, 2014
The students really learn to read, criticize, and reimagine works of history.
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Noah Charney
July 17, 2013
And we are defined by a democratic discourse that allows each generation to reimagine and renew our union once more.
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Justin Green
March 21, 2013
He had the foresight to reimagine the American department store.
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Lloyd Grove
March 6, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for reimagine

imagine

verb

(when tr, may take a clause as object) to form a mental image of

(when tr, may take a clause as object) to think, believe, or guess

(tr; takes a clause as object) to suppose; assumeI imagine he'll come

(tr; takes a clause as object) to believe or assume without foundationhe imagines he knows the whole story

an archaic word for plot 1

sentence substitute

Also: imagine that! an exclamation of surprise

Derived Formsimaginable, adjectiveimaginably, adverbimaginer, noun

Word Origin for imagine

C14: from Latin imāginārī to fancy, picture mentally, from imāgō likeness; see image

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for reimagine

imagine

mid-14c., "to form a mental image of," from Old French imaginer "sculpt, carve, paint; decorate, embellish" (13c.), from Latin imaginari "to form a mental picture to oneself, imagine" (also, in Late Latin imaginare "to form an image of, represent"), from imago (see image). Sense of "suppose" is first recorded late 14c. Related: Imagined; imagining.