Meaning of word imply

transitive verb

: to express indirectly

Her remarks implied a threat.

The news report seems to imply his death was not an accident.

: to involve or indicate by inference, association, or necessary consequence rather than by direct statement

Infer vs. Imply: Usage Guide

Sir Thomas More is the first writer known to have used both infer and imply in their approved senses in 1528 (with infer meaning «to deduce from facts» and imply meaning «to hint at»). He is also the first to have used infer in a sense close in meaning to imply (1533). Both of these uses of infer coexisted without comment until some time around the end of World War I. Since then, the «indicate» and «hint or suggest» meanings of infer have been frequently condemned as an undesirable blurring of a useful distinction. The actual blurring has been done by the commentators. The «indicate» sense of infer, descended from More’s use of 1533, does not occur with a personal subject. When objections arose, they were to a use with a personal subject (which is now considered a use of the «suggest, hint» sense of infer). Since dictionaries did not recognize this use specifically, the objectors assumed that the «indicate» sense was the one they found illogical, even though it had been in respectable use for four centuries. The actual usage condemned was a spoken one never used in logical discourse. At present the condemned «suggest, hint» sense is found in print chiefly in letters to the editor and other informal prose, not in serious intellectual writing. The controversy over the «suggest, hint» sense has apparently reduced the frequency with which the «indicate» sense of infer is used.

Synonyms

Choose the Right Synonym for imply

a film title that suggests its subject matter

imply is close to suggest but may indicate a more definite or logical relation of the unexpressed idea to the expressed.

measures implying that bankruptcy was imminent

hint implies the use of slight or remote suggestion with a minimum of overt statement.

hinted that she might get the job

intimate stresses delicacy of suggestion without connoting any lack of candor.

intimates that there is more to the situation than meets the eye

insinuate applies to the conveying of a usually unpleasant idea in a sly underhanded manner.

insinuated that there were shady dealings

Example Sentences

Early reports implied that the judge’s death was not an accident.

His words implied a threat.

War implies fighting and death.

Recent Examples on the Web

What your question implies, and what America is in the middle of a long debate about, is diversity.

—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2023

Special for The Republic Cocido means nothing more than cooked, but the namesake dish — a boil of beef and seasonal vegetables — has far more richness in flavor and geographic history than the name implies.

—Minerva Orduño Rincón, The Arizona Republic, 30 Mar. 2023

In the series, Dunne’s photos immortalize some of the band’s most pivotal moments, like their Aurora album cover, but it is implied that her career never fully blooms.

—Alicia Ramírez, refinery29.com, 29 Mar. 2023

So why is owner Arte Moreno implying the Angels could move Ohtani this summer?

—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2023

And being a lawmaker in Cuba does not necessarily imply having a lot of power.

—Patrick Oppmann, CNN, 27 Mar. 2023

Recent developments, such as Trump’s installation of a U.S. military base in Israel, are implied to be part of this master plan, and have certainly escalated tensions in the region.

—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Mar. 2023

Yet genocide implies a deliberate intent to exterminate an entire group of people, and that was decidedly not the objective of all this racial violence.

—Eric Herschthal, The New Republic, 23 Mar. 2023

First full month of legal sports wagering put $301,000 in tax revenue into state coffers It is implied to be free money, right?

—Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Mar. 2023

See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘imply.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English implien, emplien «to enfold, surround, entangle, involve by inference, contain implicitly,» borrowed from Anglo-French emplier, implier «to involve by inference, entail,» probably adaptation of emplier (variant of empleier, emploier «to entangle, put to use, employ entry 1″) as a vernacular equivalent of Medieval Latin implicāre «to imply, mean by implication,» modeled on parallel verbs in Middle English, as applien «to apply,» replien «to reply entry 1″ and their correspondents in Anglo-French — more at implicate

Note:
The genesis of this verb is idiosyncratic, as it has no correspondent in continental French, and even the Anglo-French examples are—to judge by citations in the Anglo-Norman Dictionary—later than the Middle English examples, which are not much earlier than the fifteenth century. Middle French has impliquer as an adaptation of Latin implicāre, but this method of creating vernacular forms of verbs in -plicāre, though common in French, gained little traction in English. Note late and rare Middle English appliquen «to apply» (from Anglo-French and Middle French appliquer), for which the Oxford English Dictionary has no evidence past the sixteenth century.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Time Traveler

The first known use of imply was
in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near imply

Cite this Entry

“Imply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imply. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on imply

Last Updated:
9 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

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Merriam-Webster unabridged

Источник

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English implien, emplien, borrowed from Old French emplier, from Latin implicare (“to infold, involve”), from in (“in”) + plicare (“to fold”). Doublet of employ and implicate.

Pronunciation[edit]

(General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈplaɪ/
Rhymes: -aɪ
Hyphenation: im‧ply

Verb[edit]

imply (third-person singular simple present implies, present participle implying, simple past and past participle implied)

(transitive, of a proposition) to have as a necessary consequence

The proposition that «all dogs are mammals» implies that my dog is a mammal.
(transitive, of a person) to suggest by logical inference

When I state that your dog is brown, I am not implying that all dogs are brown.
(transitive, of a person or proposition) to hint; to insinuate; to suggest tacitly and avoid a direct statement

What do you mean «we need to be more careful with hygiene»? Are you implying that I don’t wash my hands?
(archaic) to enfold, entangle.

Usage notes[edit]

This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Conjugation[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

(to have as a necessary consequence): entail
(to suggest tacitly): allude, hint, insinuate, suggest, (proscribed) infer

[edit]

implicate
implication
implicative
implicit
implicitness

Translations[edit]

to have as a consequence

Bulgarian: означавам (bg) (označavam)
Catalan: implicar (ca), comportar (ca)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 意味着 (zh) (yìwèizhe)
Czech: implikovat
Danish: implicere
Dutch: impliceren (nl), inhouden (nl)
Finnish: merkitä (fi), seurata (fi)
French: impliquer (fr)
German: implizieren (de), zur Folge haben
Hungarian: maga után von, magában foglal (hu), implikál, következtetni enged
Ido: implikar (io)
Italian: implicare (it)
Norwegian: implisere, medføre
Polish: pociągać (za sobą)
Portuguese: implicar (pt), ter como consequência, acarretar (pt)
Russian: предполага́ть (ru) impf (predpolagátʹ)
Spanish: implicar (es), acarrear (es), conllevar (es)
Swedish: implicera (sv)
Turkish: gerektirmek (tr), işaret etmek (tr)
Ukrainian: припускати (prypuskaty)
Vietnamese: bao hàm (vi)

to suggest by a logical inference

to express suggestively rather than as a direct statement

Arabic: اِنْطَوَى‎ (inṭawā)
Belarusian: намякаць impf (namjakacʹ), намякну́ць pf (namjaknúcʹ)
Bulgarian: загатвам (bg) (zagatvam), намеквам (bg) (namekvam)
Catalan: insinuar (ca)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 暗示 (zh) (ànshì), 暗指 (zh) (ànzhǐ)
Czech: naznačit (cs)
Dutch: impliceren (nl)
Finnish: vihjailla (fi), antaa ymmärtää, vihjata (fi)
French: insinuer (fr), sous-entendre (fr)
German: bedeuten (de), implizieren (de)
Greek: υπονοώ (el) (yponoó)
Hungarian: sugall (hu), utal (hu), céloz (hu), sejtet (hu), akar(ja) mondani
Icelandic: gefa í skyn, benda til
Ido: implikar (io)
Japanese: ほのめかす (ja) (honomekasu)
Norwegian: insinuere

Bokmål: antyde (no)
Persian: به طور ضمنی اشاره کردن‎
Polish: sugerować (pl)
Portuguese: dar a entender, insinuar (pt)
Russian: намека́ть (ru) impf (namekátʹ), намекну́ть (ru) (nameknútʹ) (pf.)
Scottish Gaelic: ciallaich, seaghaich
Spanish: insinuar (es), dar a entender
Swedish: antyda (sv), insinuera (sv)
Turkish: ima etmek (tr), manasına getirmek
Ukrainian: натякати (natjakaty)

Origin of imply

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English implien, emplien, from Middle French emplier, from Latin implicāre; see implicate

usage note for imply

OTHER WORDS FROM imply

re·im·ply, verb (used with object), re·im·plied, re·im·ply·ing.su·per·im·ply, verb (used with object), su·per·im·plied, su·per·im·ply·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH imply

imply , infer (see usage note at infer)

Words nearby imply

imploringly, implosion, implosion therapy, implosive, impluvium, imply, impolder, impolicy, impolite, impolitic, imponderabilia

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

IMPLY VS. INFER

What’s the difference between imply and infer?

To imply is to indicate or suggest something without actually stating it. Infer most commonly means to guess or use reasoning to come to a conclusion based on what has been suggested.

Imply and infer can be confused because they’re often used at opposite ends of the same situation. When someone implies something (suggests it without saying it explicitly), you have to infer their meaning (conclude what it is based on the hints that have been given).

For example, you might infer that your friend wants cake for their birthday because they keep talking about how much they like cake and reminding you that their birthday is coming up. Your friend didn’t actually ask for cake, but they implied that they want it by giving you hints. You used these hints to infer that they want cake.

Of course, there are situations in which you might infer something when nothing was implied or nothing was intended to be implied.

Probably due to the association between the two words, infer is sometimes used to mean the same thing as imply—to hint or suggest. Even though this can be confusing, the meaning of infer can usually be easily inferred from the context in which it’s used.

Here’s an example of imply and infer used correctly in a sentence.

Example: Even though he only implied that he may be in trouble, we correctly inferred that he was.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between imply and infer.

Quiz yourself on imply vs. infer!

Should imply or infer be used in the following sentence?

I _____ from your annoyed tone that you weren’t happy with your birthday cake.

Words related to imply

entail, hint, involve, mention, signify, suggest, betoken, connote, denote, designate, evidence, import, include, insinuate, intend, intimate, presuppose, refer

How to use imply in a sentence

Powell said the Fed will seek inflation that averages 2% over time, a step that implies allowing for price pressures to overshoot after periods of weakness.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 scaled new peaks Wednesday, but their respective measures of implied volatility also rose in tandem.
The latest science, it said, did not imply that a person is immune in the three months following infection.
In plain English, this implies that a group of pre-selected officials or government officers would have the authority to confirm the data on the blockchain.

Accounting for the much bluer national environment, that would imply either that Florida is immune to shifts in the national mood or that the state lurched to the right sometime in the intervening two years.
In other words, Coexist stickers may imply a desire for global love.
Aielli, who was very much alive when she learned of her funeral plans and the death threat they imply, says she is not deterred.
In his standup act, Buress has told rape jokes that explicitly imply sexual violence against women for a laugh.
That seemed to imply a spicy sex life, I say to him the next day.
Specific job descriptions imply a meticulous attention to detail will be necessary in the mission.
Now this setting up of an orderly law-abiding self seems to me to imply that there are impulses which make for order.
The fillip given would have been far, far greater than that which the mere numbers (1,200 for the Division) would seem to imply.
They always imply desquamation of epithelium, which rarely occurs except in parenchymatous inflammations (Figs. 60 and 61).
These two phenomenal facts imply some strong antagonism to the priesthood and their system.
Unless perhaps, as Aunty Rosa seemed to imply, they had sent secret orders.

British Dictionary definitions for imply

verb -plies, -plying or -plied (tr; may take a clause as object)

to express or indicate by a hint; suggestwhat are you implying by that remark?

to suggest or involve as a necessary consequence

logic to enable (a conclusion) to be inferred

obsolete to entangle or enfold

Word Origin for imply

C14: from Old French emplier, from Latin implicāre to involve; see implicate

undefined imply

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

Источник

1
imply

1) подразумева́ть, предполага́ть

2) означа́ть, зна́чить; содержа́ть намёк;

Англо-русский словарь Мюллера > imply
2
imply

Персональный Сократ > imply
3
imply

Англо-русский синонимический словарь > imply
4
imply

[ɪmˈplaɪ]

imply вчт. заключать в себе imply косвенно выражать imply намекать imply означать imply подразумевать imply предполагать

English-Russian short dictionary > imply
5
imply

[ımʹplaı]

1. подразумевать, предполагать

2. означать; подразумевать, косвенно выражать; намекать, давать понять

what do his words imply? — что он хочет сказать?, что означают его слова?, что он имеет в виду?

you seem to imply that… — кажется, вы намекаете на то, что…

his statement implies more than it expresses — в его словах много скрытого смысла

НБАРС > imply
6
imply

English-Russian scientific dictionary > imply
7
imply

[ɪm’plaɪ]

гл.

1) предполагать, подразумевать, заключать в себе, значить

Syn:

2) выражать неявно, иметь в виду, намекать

His silence implied consent. — Его молчание означало согласие.

It is not directly asserted, but it seems to be implied. — Это не утверждается открыто, но, видимо, подразумевается.

Syn:

Англо-русский современный словарь > imply
8
imply

1. v подразумевать, предполагать

2. v означать; подразумевать, косвенно выражать; намекать, давать понять

Синонимический ряд:

1. intimate (verb) allude to; connote; hint; hint at; insinuate; intimate; mention; point; point to; refer to; suggest

2. involve (verb) assume; denote; entail; import; indicate; involve; mean; presuppose; signify

English-Russian base dictionary > imply
9
imply

ɪmˈplaɪзаключать в себе,значить,подразумевать,предполагать,вытекать

Англо-русский словарь экономических терминов > imply
10
imply

1) влечь за собой

2) заключать в себе
3) иметь следствием
4) значить
5) означать
6) подразумевать
7) нести с собой

Англо-русский технический словарь > imply
11
imply

[ɪm’plaɪ]

1) Общая лексика: влечь, давать понять, заключать в себе, значить, иметь в виду, иметь следствием, намекать, намекать на, означать, подразумевать, предполагать, разуметь, вытекать, намекнуть

2) Математика: влечь за собой, вытечь, иметь значение, иметь последствия, нести с собой, обозначать, повлечь, повлечь за собой, понимать, сказаться, сказываться, следовать

Универсальный англо-русский словарь > imply
12
imply

Сборный англо-русский словарь > imply
13
imply

[ɪm`plaɪ]

предполагать, подразумевать, заключать в себе, значить

выражать неявно, иметь в виду, намекать

Англо-русский большой универсальный переводческий словарь > imply
14
imply

подразумевать; означать; заключать в себе

English-Russian electronics dictionary > imply
15
imply

подразумевать; означать; заключать в себе

The New English-Russian Dictionary of Radio-electronics > imply
16
imply

I

заключать в себе; влечь, иметь следствием

II

значить, означать

III

лог.

English-Russian dictionary of computer science and programming > imply
17
imply

verb

1) заключать в себе, значить; with all that it implies со всеми вытекающими из этого последствиями

2) подразумевать, предполагать

Syn:

mean

* * *

(v) подразумевать

* * *

означать, подразумевать; намекать

* * *

[im·ply || ɪm’plaɪ]
подразумевать, предполагать, означать, значить, заключать в себе, содержать намек

* * *

вытекать

думать

значить

намекать

намекнуть

подразумевать

предполагать

* * *

1) предполагать, подразумевать, заключать в себе
2) выражать неявно, иметь в виду

Новый англо-русский словарь > imply
18
imply

значить, означать; подразумевать

Англо-русский словарь по экономике и финансам > imply
19
imply

подразумевать; имплицировать, влечь

Англо-русский словарь по психоаналитике > imply
20
imply

заключать в себе, влечь, иметь следствием, значить, означать

Англо-русский словарь по робототехнике > imply

Страницы

См. также в других словарях:

imply — im·ply /im plī/ vt im·plied, im·ply·ing 1: to recognize as existing by inference or necessary consequence esp. on legal or equitable grounds in ordinary circumstances…the law would imply that it was the duty of the hospital to use due care… … Law dictionary
imply — (v.) late 14c., to enfold, enwrap, entangle (the classical Latin sense), from O.Fr. emplier, from L. implicare involve (see IMPLICATE (Cf. implicate)). Meaning to involve something unstated as a logical consequence first recorded c.1400; that of… … Etymology dictionary
imply — ► VERB (implies, implied) 1) indicate by suggestion rather than explicit reference. 2) (of a fact or occurrence) suggest as a logical consequence. USAGE The words imply and infer do not mean the same thing. Imply is used with a speaker as its… … English terms dictionary
Imply — Im*ply , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Implied}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Implying}.] [From the same source as employ. See {Employ}, {Ply}, and cf. {Implicate}, {Apply}.] 1. To infold or involve; to wrap up. [Obs.] His head in curls implied. Chapman. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
imply — 1 involve, comprehend, include, embrace, subsume Analogous words: import, *mean, signify, denote: *contain, hold: convey, *carry, bear 2 *suggest, hint, intimate, insinuate Analogous words: connote, *denote: * … New Dictionary of Synonyms
imply — [v] indicate, mean betoken, connote, denote, designate, entail, evidence, give a hint, hint, import, include, insinuate, intend, intimate, involve, mention, point to, presuppose, refer, signify, suggest; concepts 75,97,682 Ant. define, explicate … New thesaurus
imply — [im plī′] vt. implied, implying [ME implien < OFr emplier < L implicare, to involve, entangle < in , in + plicare, to fold: see PLY1] 1. to have as a necessary part, condition, or effect; contain, include, or involve naturally or… … English World dictionary
imply — infer, imply 1. The only point noted by Fowler (1926) was that the inflected forms of infer are inferred and inferring, and this is thankfully still true (but note inferable or inferrable, with one r or two, and inference with only one r). Fowler … Modern English usage
imply — verb ADVERB ▪ clearly, heavily, strongly ▪ subtly ▪ He subtly implied that race was an issue in the case. ▪ logically ▪ … Collocations dictionary
imply */*/*/ — UK [ɪmˈplaɪ] / US verb [transitive] Word forms imply : present tense I/you/we/they imply he/she/it implies present participle implying past tense implied past participle implied 1) if one thing implies another thing, the other thing is likely to… … English dictionary
imply — 01. Were you [implying] that I stole some equipment when you mentioned that things always went missing when I was in the office? 02. When you said you didn t believe me, were you [implying] that I was lying? 03. Are you [implying] that I was… … Grammatical examples in English

Источник

Other forms: implied; implies; implying

Imply means to express, suggest, or show something without stating it directly: A friend’s gruff manner would imply that she’s in a foul mood.

The verb imply comes from a Latin word meaning “enfold or entangle” but has come to mean “to hint at.” You might imply something that you don’t want to outright say if you’re feeling coy. If you don’t call someone back after she leaves eight messages, you imply that you don’t want to chat. When you make a subtle suggestion, you imply.

Definitions of imply

verb

express or state indirectly
verb

have as a logical consequence
verb

have as a necessary feature
verb

suggest as a logically necessary consequence; in logic
verb

suggest that someone is guilty

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘imply’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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Commonly confused words

imply / infer

Imply and infer are opposites, like a throw and a catch. To imply is to hint at something, but to infer is to make an educated guess. The speaker does the implying, and the listener does the inferring.

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Dictionary Entries Near imply

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More from Merriam-Webster on imply

English[edit]

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Verb[edit]

Usage notes[edit]

Conjugation[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

[edit]

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Origin of imply

usage note for imply

OTHER WORDS FROM imply

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH imply

Words nearby imply

IMPLY VS. INFER

What’s the difference between imply and infer?

Quiz yourself on imply vs. infer!

Words related to imply

How to use imply in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for imply

Word Origin for imply

undefined imply

См. также в других словарях:

imply / infer

Look up imply for the last time

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