Imagine Verb - Definition, Pictures, Pronunciation And Usage Notes

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Definition of imagine verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

imagine verb   /ɪˈmædʒɪn/  /ɪˈmædʒɪn/Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they imagine	/ɪˈmædʒɪn/  /ɪˈmædʒɪn/
he / she / it imagines	/ɪˈmædʒɪnz/  /ɪˈmædʒɪnz/
past simple imagined	/ɪˈmædʒɪnd/  /ɪˈmædʒɪnd/
past participle imagined	/ɪˈmædʒɪnd/  /ɪˈmædʒɪnd/
-ing form imagining	/ɪˈmædʒɪnɪŋ/  /ɪˈmædʒɪnɪŋ/

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1.   [transitive, intransitive] to form a picture in your mind of what something might be like
   • imagine something The house was just as she had imagined it.
   • Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to find him standing there.
   • I can't imagine life without the children now.
   • It's hard to imagine a more cynical political strategy.
   • imagine (that)… Close your eyes and imagine (that) you are in a forest.
   • imagine what, how, etc… Can you imagine what it must be like to lose your job after 20 years?
   • imagine doing something Imagine earning that much money!
   • She imagined walking into the office and handing in her resignation.
   • imagine somebody/something doing something I can just imagine him saying that!
   • imagine somebody/something to be/do something I had imagined her to be older than that.
   • imagine somebody/something/yourself (as) something He loved to imagine himself as the hero.
   • I find it difficult to imagine her a grandmother.
   • I can imagine him really angry.
   • (informal) ‘He was furious.’ ‘I can imagine.’
   Synonyms imagineimaginethink ▪ see ▪ envisage ▪ envisionThese words all mean to form an idea in your mind of what somebody/​something might be like.imagine to form an idea in your mind of what somebody/​something might be like:
   • The house was just as she had imagined it.
   think to imagine something that might happen or might have happened:
   • We couldn’t think where you’d gone.
   • Just think—this time tomorrow we’ll be lying on a beach.
   see to consider something as a future possibility; to imagine somebody as something:
   • I can’t see her changing her mind.
   • His colleagues see him as a future director.
   envisage (especially British English) to imagine what will happen in the future:
   • I don’t envisage working with him again.
   The usual word for this in American English is envision (see below).envision to imagine what a situation will be like in the future, especially a situation that you intend to work towards:
   • They envision an equal society, free from poverty and disease.
   Envision is used especially in business and political contexts. In North American English it is also used in the same way as envisage: I don’t envision working with him again. Patterns
   • to imagine/​see/​envisage/​envision somebody/​something as something
   • to imagine/​see/​envisage/​envision (somebody) doing something
   • to imagine/​think/​see/​envisage/​envision who/​what/​how…
   • to imagine/​think/​envisage/​envision that…
   More Like This Verbs usually followed by -ing formsVerbs usually followed by -ing forms
   • avoid
   • consider
   • delay
   • deny
   • enjoy
   • escape
   • finish
   • give up
   • imagine
   • involve
   • mention
   • mind
   • miss
   • postpone
   • practise
   • resist
   • risk
   • suggest
   Extra Examples
   • Can you imagine a world free from the drudgery of work?
   • I can well imagine the atmosphere at home at this moment.
   • If I'm late home my mother always imagines the worst.
   • I can't even begin to imagine the horrors that they have been through.
   • I could clearly imagine the scene in the office.
   • It is difficult to imagine a world without money.
   • She could just imagine her mother's look of horror.
   • I had fondly imagined that riding a mule would be easy.
   • I'd like to imagine that she's safe and happy somewhere.
   • She had imagined that she'd get a warm welcome.
   • I started to imagine what he might say.
   • He hardly dared to imagine what else was going to be divulged.
   • Let us imagine what really might have happened.
   • She imagined walking onto the stage to huge applause.
   • I could hardly imagine living in such a remote and desolate spot.
   • I always imagined him following in his father's footsteps.
   • I can't actually imagine her falling for that trick.
   • The sight was disturbing as you can quite imagine.
   • There's more at stake here than you can possibly imagine.
   Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
   • clearly
   • easily
   • readily
   • …
   verb + imagine
   • can
   • try to
   • begin to
   • …
   phrases
   • let us imagine
   See full entry

   Want to learn more?

   Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.

   
2.   [transitive] to believe something that is not true
   • imagine (that)… He’s always imagining (that) we’re talking about him behind his back.
   • imagine something There's nobody there. You're imagining things.
   Extra Examples
   • He needed proof that he wasn't just imagining it all.
   • She knew she was simply imagining things.
   Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
   • really
   • seriously
   • almost
   • …
   verb + imagine
   • be easy to
   phrases
   • be imagining things
   • real and imagined
   • real or imagined
   • …
   See full entry
3.   [intransitive, transitive] to think that something is probably true synonym suppose, assume
   • ‘Can we still buy tickets for the concert?’ ‘I imagine so.’
   • imagine (that)… I don’t imagine (that) they’ll refuse.
   Topics Doubt, guessing and certaintyb1Extra Examples
   • I don't imagine he'll get here now, do you?
   • You don't seriously imagine I'll agree to that?
   • I could almost imagine you were jealous.
   • You shouldn't imagine that he's anything but a ruthless man.
   Express Yourself SpeculatingSpeculatingIn some exams, you have to talk about what you can see in a picture and speculate about the situation or a wider issue prompted by the picture. These are ways of saying what you think might be the case:
   • • I think it's likely that these people know each other.
   • • I imagine she's his wife.
   • • They might be related.
   • • They could be friends or work colleagues.
   • • I would guess they've been waiting for some time.
     (British English)
   • • I guess that the car has broken down.
     (North American English)
   • • I think this has probably happened before.
   • • It looks to me as though the woman is very angry.
   • • Perhaps there has been an accident.
   • • It may be that they're waiting for someone.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French imaginer, from Latin imaginare ‘form an image of, represent’ and imaginari ‘picture to oneself’, both from imago, imagin- ‘image’.

See imagine in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee imagine in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishCheck pronunciation: imagine

Nearby words

• imaginative adjective
• imaginatively adverb
• imagine verb
• imagineer noun
• imagineer verb

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