imply
Americanverb (used with object)
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implies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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:
The focus has already shifted to the Fed meeting in December, where futures imply around a 80% chance of a rate increase, UOB adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
“There’s no denying: execution risk seems high, and bearish scenarios imply >50% downside potential,” Potter wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 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
“You imply that I’m an idiot, ” said Stanley.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Even an arms-length commercial transaction implies mutual benefit.
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026
The company said it expects sales of $4.41 billion for the current quarter, which implies growth of 50%.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
"The exposure-burial history that emerges from the model implies recycling of sediments previously deposited and buried in the rift valley... and then redeposited along the 'Ubeidiya paleo lake shoreline."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
It replaces the previous 8%-11% total shareholder return target, which included dividend yield, and implies a stronger earnings outlook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
The first redundancy, the reason is because, is widely disliked, because the word reason already implies that we are dealing with an explanation, and we don’t need a because to remind us.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
While not necessarily romantic, it’s implied in “You Can See Everything” that the same thing happens with Holmes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
On crypto-based platform Polymarket, traders are quietly increasing the implied probability of a full-blown AI-industry downturn before the end of the year, although expectations for a blowup are well below their earlier highs.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
It posits that view after Mercury NZ disclosed its 1Q performance, which implied quarterly Ebitdaf of NZ$357 million, up 17% on year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
But Walmart implied that the other plans out there are limited in scope.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
“Spirited,” Rishi finished, in a way that implied he’d considered, and then decided against, using a much less complimentary adjective.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
On Tuesday, her campaign put out a statement from Philip Stearns, Acton’s brother, corroborating her account of abuse and implying that Ramaswamy was behind the ad.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026
Options are implying a rise or decline of 98 basis points for that ETF on Wednesday, which is lower than the 12-month average of a plus or minus 125 basis-point move, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Goldman reiterates its 450,000-vehicle sales target for Xiaomi this year, implying about 158,000 deliveries in 4Q.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Van Houten said his office did not bring charges at the time because he had only seen a statement from Doe implying the incident was consensual and that she had not been drugged.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Papá was fair-haired and light-complected, implying a Spanish bloodline rather than native Mexican, but Mamá did have olive skin, black hair, and dark eyes.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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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.
