imagine

verb

imag·​ine i-ˈma-jən 

imagined; imagining i-ˈma-jə-niŋ 

-ˈmaj-nə-

transitive verb

1

: to form a mental image of (something not present)

imagine accidents at every turn

2

: suppose, guess

I imagine it will rain

3

: to form a notion of without sufficient basis : fancy

imagines himself to be a charming conversationalist

4

archaic : plan, scheme

intransitive verb

1

: to use the imagination

2

: believe sense 3

Synonyms

• conceit [chiefly dialect]
• conceive
• conjure (up)
• dream
• envisage
• envision
• fancy
• fantasize
• fantasy
• feature
• ideate
• image
• picture
• see
• vision
• visualize

Choose the Right Synonym for imagine

think, conceive, imagine, fancy, realize, envisage, envision mean to form an idea of.

think implies the entrance of an idea into one's mind with or without deliberate consideration or reflection.

I just thought of a good joke

conceive suggests the forming and bringing forth and usually developing of an idea, plan, or design.

conceived of a new marketing approach

imagine stresses a visualization.

imagine you're at the beach

fancy suggests an imagining often unrestrained by reality but spurred by desires.

fancied himself a super athlete

realize stresses a grasping of the significance of what is conceived or imagined.

realized the enormity of the task ahead

envisage and envision imply a conceiving or imagining that is especially clear or detailed.

envisaged a totally computerized operation

envisioned a cure for the disease

Examples of imagine in a Sentence

a writer who has imagined an entire world of amazing creatures

He asked us to imagine a world without poverty or war.

It's hard for me to imagine having children.

He was imagining all sorts of terrible things happening.

“What was that sound? I think there's someone in the house!” “Oh, you're just imagining things.”

I imagine it will snow at some point today.

It's difficult to imagine that these changes will really be effective.

The company will do better next year, I imagine.

It was worse than they had imagined.

Recent Examples on the Web

Just imagining who could play Colman Smith in a TV or movie version of Pixie is enough to seriously excite the producers strutting the Olympia halls. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025

Like, imagine how different the world would be if police officers had this same energy for, say, the NYPD, killing hundreds of civilian complaints accusing the department of misconduct. —Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 7 Mar. 2025

The Evening Standard never filled that role, even at its best, and the paper’s near-demise has led to a flowering of new projects that report on and imagine the city. —Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2025

And that doesn’t even factor in the choice of coaches in June, which has worked out far better than any of us could have imagined. —Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ymagynen, borrowed from Anglo-French ymaginer, borrowed from Latin imāginārī, verbal derivative of imāgin-, imāgō "representation, semblance, image entry 1"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing imagine

• imagine that

Kids Definition

imagine

verb

imag·​ine im-ˈaj-ən 

imagined; imagining -ˈaj-(ə-)niŋ 

1

: to form a mental picture of : use the imagination

2

: think sense 2, suppose

I imagine it will snow

Medical Definition

imagine

verb

imag·​ine im-ˈaj-ən 

imagined; imagining -ˈaj-(ə-)niŋ 

transitive verb

: to form a mental image of (something not present)

intransitive verb

: to use the imagination