imagine

English Online Dictionary. What means imagine‎? What does imagine mean?

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈmæ.d͡ʒɪn/
• Hyphenation: i‧ma‧gine

Verb

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.
2. (transitive) To believe in something created by one's own mind, often something false.

3. (transitive) To assume; to suppose.

4. (transitive) To conjecture; to guess.

5. (transitive) To use one's imagination.

6. (transitive, obsolete) To contrive in purpose; to scheme; to devise.
7. (transitive, Internet slang, rhetorical, sarcastic) Used to mock an idea by suggesting that it is ridiculous or ill thought through.

Usage notes

• 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

• ween

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

imagine (plural imagines)

1. (fandom slang) A short fanfic or prompt placing a reader insert in a novel scenario with a character or celebrity.
   • 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

Pronunciation

Verb

imagine

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

Latin

Noun

imāgine

1. ablative singular of imāgō

Portuguese

Verb

imagine

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

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin imāgō, imāginem. Compare French image.

Pronunciation

Noun

imagine f (plural imagini)

1. image

Declension

Related terms

• imagina

See also

• poză

Spanish

Pronunciation

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

Verb

imagine

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