imagine
[ ih-maj-in ]
/ ɪˈmædʒ ɪn /
verb (used with object), im·ag·ined, im·ag·in·ing.
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
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM imagine
Words nearby imagine
imaginary number,
imaginary part,
imaginary unit,
imagination,
imaginative,
imagine,
imagineer,
imagineering,
imaging,
imagism,
imago
Example sentences from the Web for imagine
British Dictionary definitions for imagine
imagine
/ (ɪˈmædʒɪn) /
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; assume
I imagine he'll come
(tr; takes a clause as object)
to believe or assume without foundation
he imagines he knows the whole story
an archaic word for plot 1
sentence substitute
Also: imagine that!
an exclamation of surprise
Derived forms of imagine
imaginable, adjective imaginably, adverb imaginer, nounWord Origin for imagine
C14: from Latin
imāginārī to fancy, picture mentally, from
imāgō likeness; see
image