imagine

UK: /ɪˈmædʒɪn/ US: /ɪˈmædʒɪn/ ,(i maj′in)

Inflections of 'imagine' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

imagines

v 3rd person singular

imagining

v pres p

imagined

v past

imagined

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

im•ag•ine /ɪˈmædʒɪn/   v., -ined, -in•ing. 

1. to form a mental image of (something not actually present to the senses): [~ + object]
   I imagined her standing before me.
   [~ + (that) clause]
   I imagined that my grandmother was there before us.
   [no object]
   He's just imagining; no one is really chasing him.
2. to believe;
   suppose;
   think:
   [~ + (that) clause* not: be + ~-ing] He imagined the house was haunted.
3. to guess:
   [~ + clause* not: be + ~-ing] I can't imagine what you mean.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

im•ag•ine  (i maj′in), v., -ined, -in•ing. 
v.t. 

1. to form a mental image of (something not actually present to the senses).
2. to think, believe, or fancy:
   He imagined the house was haunted.
3. to assume;
   suppose:
   I imagine they'll be here soon.
4. to conjecture;
   guess:
   I cannot imagine what you mean.
5. [Archaic.] to plan, scheme, or plot.

v.i. 

6. to form mental images of things not present to the senses;
   use the imagination.
7. to suppose;
   think;
   conjecture.

• Latin imāginārī, equivalent. to imāgin- (stem of imāgō) image + -ā- thematic vowel + -rī infinitive ending
• Middle French imaginer
• Middle English imaginen 1300–50

i•mag′in•er, n. 
Synonyms

• 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.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

imagine / ɪˈmædʒɪn/ verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to form a mental image of
2. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to think, believe, or guess
3. (tr; takes a clause as object) to suppose; assume: I imagine he'll come
4. (tr; takes a clause as object) to believe or assume without foundation: he imagines he knows the whole story
5. an archaic word for plot1

Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin imāginārī to fancy, picture mentally, from imāgō likeness; see image

iˈmaginable adjective

iˈmaginableness noun

iˈmaginably adverb

iˈmaginer noun