imagine

[ih-maj-in] /ɪˈmædʒ ɪn/
verb (used with object), imagined, imagining.
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.
verb (used without object), imagined, imagining.
6.
to form mental images of things not present to the senses; use the imagination.
7.
to suppose; think; conjecture.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English imaginen < Middle French imaginer < Latin imāginārī, equivalent to imāgin- (stem of imāgō) image + -ā- thematic vowel + -rī infinitive ending
Related forms
imaginer, noun
preimagine, verb (used with object), preimagined, preimagining.
reimagine, verb (used with object), reimagined, reimagining.
unimagined, adjective
well-imagined, adjective
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.
Examples from the web for imagine
  • imagine you're coaching a big soccer game, against an undefeated team that has beaten your team in all your previous matches.
  • imagine that driving across town, you've fallen into a reverie, meditating on lost loves or calculating your next tax payments.
  • imagine trying to bake a cake without being able to precisely gauge or control the temperature.
  • imagine sipping your tea or wine in the dappled light of your own backyard arbor bench, your favorite vine overhead.
  • imagine a microscope implanted into your body that could automatically sort out cancerous cells based on how they looked.
  • imagine a campus without students for that reality check.
  • The hidden costs of corruption are almost always much higher than companies imagine.
  • imagine bubbles floating before your eyes, filled with cool info about stuff you see on the street.
  • Well, imagine that you have been peeling layer after layer until you couldn't peel off anymore.
  • imagine you're a mouse running across an elaborately decorated rug.
British Dictionary definitions for imagine

imagine

/ɪˈmædʒɪn/
verb
1.
(when transitive, may take a clause as object) to form a mental image of
2.
(when transitive, may take a clause as object) to think, believe, or guess
3.
(transitive; takes a clause as object) to suppose; assume: I imagine he'll come
4.
(transitive; takes a clause as object) to believe or assume without foundation: he imagines he knows the whole story
5.
an archaic word for plot1
sentence substitute
6.
Also imagine that!. an exclamation of surprise
Derived Forms
imaginable, adjective
imaginably, adverb
imaginer, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Latin imāginārī to fancy, picture mentally, from imāgō likeness; see image
Word Origin and History for imagine
v.

mid-14c., "to form a mental image of," from Old French imaginer "sculpt, carve, paint; decorate, embellish" (13c.), from Latin imaginari "to form a mental picture to oneself, imagine" (also, in Late Latin imaginare "to form an image of, represent"), from imago (see image). Sense of "suppose" is first recorded late 14c. Related: Imagined; imagining.