Imagine Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms imagine American [ih-maj-in] / ɪˈmædʒ ɪn /

verb (used with object)

imagined, imagining

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

   Synonyms: picture, image

2. to think, believe, or fancy.

   He imagined the house was haunted.

3. to assume; suppose.

   I imagine they'll be here soon.

4. to conjecture; guess.

   I cannot imagine what you mean.

5. Archaic. to plan, scheme, or plot.

verb (used without object)

imagined, imagining

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

2. to suppose; think; conjecture.

imagine British / ɪˈmædʒɪn /

verb

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

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

3. (tr; takes a clause as object) to suppose; assume

   I imagine he'll come

4. (tr; takes a clause as object) to believe or assume without foundation

   he imagines he knows the whole story

5. an archaic word for plot 1

"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

1. Also: imagine that!. an exclamation of surprise

"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

Usage

What does imagine mean? To imagine is to form a mental likeness of something or someone not present, as in Imagine flying in a rocket to Mars.To imagine also means to think of something, especially in a way that it is not currently, as in Imagine what the house might look like after all these years.To imagine is also to assume, as in Oh dear, the teacher imagined that we all did our homework.Finally, to imagine can mean to guess, as in Can you imagine what it would be like for it to snow in the summer?Example: I can’t imagine they will take much longer, so we should just wait here.

Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

• imaginable adjective
• imaginably adverb
• imaginer noun
• preimagine verb (used with object)
• reimagine verb (used with object)
• unimagined adjective
• well-imagined adjective

Etymology

Origin of imagine

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

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.

Most of the unhappy denizens of Dante’s imagined hell are being eternally tormented for specific moral crimes in categories covering lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery.

From Salon

One way to imagine this system is like traffic lights guiding cars through a busy city.

From Science Daily

Can you imagine that now, with contemporary child protection sensibilities.

From BBC

“It’s hard to imagine them cutting into this environment given the considerable spikes in gasoline we’ve seen,” Moody said.

From MarketWatch

Still, it’s hard to imagine the two lobbying hand in hand soon.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.