Imagine
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A short fanfic or prompt placing a reader insert in a novel scenario with a character or celebrity. slang
"Some imagines are more sexual and creepy than others: "Imagine Stiles walking in on you giving Scott a blowjob.""
- 1 To form a mental image of something; to envision or create something in one's mind. transitive
"Try to imagine a pink elephant."
- 2 expect, believe, or suppose wordnet
- 3 To believe in something created by one's own mind, often something false. transitive
"She imagined that the man wanted to kill her."
- 4 form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case wordnet
- 5 To assume; to suppose. transitive
"I imagine that he will need to rest after such a long flight."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To conjecture; to guess. transitive
"I cannot even imagine what you are up to!"
- 7 To use one's imagination. intransitive
"Imagine that we were siblings."
- 8 To contrive in purpose; to scheme; to devise. obsolete, transitive
"How long wil ye imagine miſchiefe againſt a man?"
- 9 Used to mock an idea by suggesting that it is ridiculous or ill thought through. Internet, sarcastic, transitive
"Imagine thinking that would work."
Example
More examples"Can you imagine what our lives would be like without electricity?"
Etymology
From Middle English ymagynen, from Middle French imaginer, from Latin imāginor, from imāginem, the accusative singular of imāgō (“a copy, likeness, image”).
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.