Meaning of the word imagine

Last Updated:
6 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

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Translations

Simply because in the first case you imagine that it is easy to go to the end of this plank, while in the second case you _imagine_ that you _cannot_ do so. ❋ Emile Cou�� (1891)

I noticed a sign advertising some kind of jalapeno burger with the words «sezur na ostro» which I can only imagine is Polish for blow your bowels up. ❋ Unknown (2009)

What’s hard to imagine is how we could do it worse. ❋ Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (2010)

Now all I can imagine is this scene revised for contemporary times, in which our heroes are fined for illegal consumption of alcohol, fishing without a license, and probably a trespassing charge thrown in for good measure. ❋ Unknown (2010)

Perhaps equally difficult to imagine is being within a few blocks or or a couple miles of Ground Zero and surviving to escape the city — to go to Nagasaki, which would be struck by an even larger weapon three days later, and once again survive. ❋ Unknown (2010)

The stryker scene, I imagine is in every print, to keep you interested. ❋ Unknown (2009)

The only scenario I could imagine is a newcomer who catches fire with the teabagger crowd. ❋ Unknown (2010)

All I can imagine is that she was absolutely, positively proper not to play into any televised escalation that would not be to her benefit, but might be to ABC’s. ❋ Lisa De Moraes (2010)

I never wanted to precisely because of what I imagine is going to happen next to Sally. ❋ Dr. Prudence L. Gourguechon (2010)

Alan, as one may imagine, is not best pleased at what he sees is a unilateral and hostile decision, particularly when Greenie wants to sell it to him as a fresh start. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Accept for her rather … post-modern garb, that’s like exactly as I imagine from the book. ❋ Grrm (2010)

David, as you can imagine, is unimpressed with this state of affairs, but still doing really rather well. ❋ Unknown (2009)

My college would probably be very glad for me to have it, and it would lead to more work as there are plenty of conflicts taking place every day, as one may imagine is the case in any large organization. ❋ Unknown (2009)

The only thing you can imagine is that he was talking about how big the monuments are? ❋ Unknown (2010)

Whiteness in those towels I would imagine is a mask. ❋ Unknown (2009)

What I ask you to imagine is only half of what can help a male to understand more how a woman feels and women to greater realise the exploitation and sexualisation of women in society. ❋ Unknown (2009)

for [the person reading this] [start] imagining it…[NOW] imagine ❋ Nice One Perma (2022)

i imagine myself [eating]. ❋ TrueDefinitionsNOLIE (2021)

eH0: «Hey [how was your day]?»
[Bushy]: «imagine»
eH0: «[What the fuck]» ❋ Rivlleducks (2018)

[Person]: [Imagine]
Person: Imagine
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Person: Imagine
Person: Imagine
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Person: Imagine ❋ This Handle Is Not Used (2021)

1. Person A: [Let me beat] right now
Person B: Imagine?
2. Person A: Please bitch, I will [deck your shit] twice
Person B: Imagine?
3. Person A: That bitch is bad, I’m bout [to go bag] that.
Person B: Imagine your dusty self could bag? ❋ Oh Chea (2004)

Example: Imagine, [Jimin] as your boyfriend
Imagine, [Suga] as your husband
Imagine, [Jungkook] as your boy bestfriend ❋ Parkbbymochi (2020)

[what what] imagine [pwns] ❋ Imagine (2003)

«Imagine thinking [dabbing] is cool in 2020»
«[Imagine being] trash»
«Imagine being [bald].»
«Imagine supporting this.» ❋ Rrrrrrrrfkokdgijsaijghdsijjhgd (2020)

[imagine] imagining. ❋ CanYouLikeNotPlease (2022)

[teenage] girlfriend: «I just read an [imagines] where [Harry Styles] and I went on a vacation to Mexico. Why don’t you ever treat me like that?»
teenage boyfriend: «smh». ❋ Kryzk (2014)

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English ymagynen, from Middle French imaginer, from Latin imāginor, from imāginem, the accusative singular of imāgō (“a copy, likeness, image”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪn/
• Hyphenation: imag‧ine

Verb[edit]

imagine (third-person singular simple present imagines, present participle imagining, simple past and past participle imagined)

1. (transitive) To form a mental image of something; to envision or create something in one’s mind.

   Try to imagine a pink elephant.

   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 159, column 2:

     Or in the night, imagining ſome feare, / How eaſie is a buſh ſuppos’d a Beare?

   • 2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama’s once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:

     Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don’t know and will never meet.

2. (transitive) To believe in something created by one’s own mind.

   She imagined that the man wanted to kill her.

3. (transitive) to assume

   I imagine that he will need to rest after such a long flight.

4. (transitive) to conjecture or guess

   I cannot even imagine what you are up to!

   The board imagines the merger will increase profits by 25%

5. (transitive) to use one’s imagination

   Imagine that we were siblings.

6. (transitive, obsolete) To contrive in purpose; to scheme; to devise.
7. (transitive, Internet slang, rhetorical, sarcastic) Used to mock some idea.

   Imagine thinking that would work.

Usage notes[edit]

• This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs
• This is generally a stative verb that rarely takes the continuous inflection. See Category:English stative verbs

Synonyms[edit]

• ween

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

imagine (plural imagines)

1. (fandom slang) A short fanfic or prompt placing a reader insert in a novel scenario with a character or celebrity.
   • 2015, Laura Starling, «FFIC101: An Introduction to the Horrors of Fanfiction», Critic (University of Otago), 2 March 2015, page 21:

     Some imagines are more sexual and creepy than others: «Imagine Stiles walking in on you giving Scott a blowjob.»

   • 2016, Jocelyn Chambers, «The Exclusion Of People Of Color In Fanfiction», Majesty, December 2016, page 96:

     i personally like imagines and fanfics so i found a good amount of kylo ren x reader fics and started going through them.

   • 2019, «thranduilsperkybutt», quoted in «Author Spotlight: thranduilsperkybutt», Lemon, February 2019, page 37:

     If I get inspired immediately, I can bust out an imagine in 5-10 minutes.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:imagine.

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

imagine

1. inflection of imaginer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Latin[edit]

Noun[edit]

imāgine

1. ablative singular of imāgō

Portuguese[edit]

Verb[edit]

imagine

1. inflection of imaginar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin imāgō, imāginem. Compare French image.

Noun[edit]

imagine f (plural imagini)

1. image

Declension[edit]

[edit]

• imagina

See also[edit]

• poză

Spanish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /imaˈxine/ [i.maˈxi.ne]
• Rhymes: -ine
• Syllabification: i‧ma‧gi‧ne

Verb[edit]

imagine

1. inflection of imaginar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Britannica Dictionary definition of IMAGINE

[+ object]

вообразить, воображать, представлять себе, думать, предполагать, догадываться

глагол ↓

Словосочетания

a writer who has imagined an entire world of amazing creatures — писатель, который выдумал целый мир, населённый удивительными существами  
to imagine things — выдумывать, вбивать себе в голову невесть что  
to be as green as to imagine that… — быть настолько наивным, чтобы думать, что…  
hear him talk you would imagine that he’s somebody — послушать его — так можно подумать, что он важная персона  
they couldn’t imagine how thew would do it — они плохо представляли себе, как они это сделают  
be swift to imagine — быть мнительным человеком; быть фантазёром  
imagine vortex — сопряжённый вихрь  
just imagine — подумать только; прикидывать  
you can imagine how worried we are — можете ли вы представить, как мы беспокоимся  
imagine / fancy that! — воображать  
imagine of smb — быть какого-л. мнения о ком-л  

Примеры с переводом

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

Возможные однокоренные слова

imaginable  — вообразимый, воображаемый
imaginary  — мнимый, воображаемый, нереальный, фантомный
imagines  — вообразить, воображать, представлять себе, думать, предполагать, догадываться
imagining  — воображающий
imagined  — вообразить, воображать, представлять себе, думать, предполагать, догадываться
imaginal  — имагинальный, относящийся к имаго

Формы слова

verb
I/you/we/they: imagine
he/she/it: imagines
ing ф. (present participle): imagining
2-я ф. (past tense): imagined
3-я ф. (past participle): imagined