If you have an image of something or someone, you have a picture or idea of them in your mind.
The image of art theft as a gentleman's crime is outdated. [+ of]
The words 'Cote d'Azur' conjure up images of sunny days in Mediterranean cafes.
Synonyms: thought, idea, vision, concept More Synonyms of image
2. countable noun [oft with poss]
The image of a person, group, or organization is the way that they appear to other people.
Wellington controlled his image as carefully as any modern politician.
The tobacco industry has been trying to improve its image.
Synonyms: profile, face, front [informal], role More Synonyms of image
3. countable noun
An image is a picture of someone or something.
[formal]
...photographic images of young children. [+ of]
A computer in the machine creates an image on the screen.
Synonyms: picture, photo, photograph, representation More Synonyms of image
4. countable noun
An image is a poetic description of something.
[formal]
The natural images in the poem are meant to be suggestive of realities beyond themselves.
Synonyms: figure of speech, metaphor, simile, conceit [archaic] More Synonyms of image
5.
See be the image of sb
6. See also mirror image
7. spitting image
More Synonyms of image
image in British English
(ˈɪmɪdʒ)
noun
1.
a representation or likeness of a person or thing, esp in sculpture
2.
an optically formed reproduction of an object, such as one formed by a lens or mirror
3.
a person or thing that resembles another closely; double or copy
4.
a mental representation or picture; idea produced by the imagination
5.
the personality presented to the public by a person, organization, etc
a criminal charge is not good for a politician's image
See also corporate image
6.
the pattern of light that is focused on to the retina of the eye
7. psychology
the mental experience of something that is not immediately present to the senses, often involving memory
See also imagery, body image, hypnagogic image
8.
a personification of a specified quality; epitome
the image of good breeding
9.
a mental picture or association of ideas evoked in a literary work, esp in poetry
10.
a figure of speech, such as a simile or metaphor
11. mathematics
a.
(of a point) the value of a function, f(x), corresponding to the point x
b.
the range of a function
12. an obsolete word for apparition
verb(transitive)
13.
to picture in the mind; imagine
14.
to make or reflect an image of
15. computing
to project or display on a screen or visual display unit
16.
to portray or describe
17.
to be an example or epitome of; typify
Derived forms
imageable (ˈimageable)
adjective
imageless (ˈimageless)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old French imagene, from Latin imāgō copy, representation; related to Latin imitārī to imitate
image in American English
(ˈɪmɪdʒ)
noun
1.
a.
an imitation or representation of a person or thing, drawn, painted, photographed, etc.; esp., a statue
b.
a sculptured figure used as an idol
2.
the visual impression of something produced by reflection from a mirror, refraction through a lens, etc.
3.
a person or thing very much like another; copy; counterpart; likeness
4.
a.
a mental picture of something; conception; idea; impression
b. US
the concept of a person, product, institution, etc. held by the general public, often one deliberately created or modified by publicity, advertising, propaganda, etc.
5.
a type; typical example; symbol; embodiment
the very image of laziness
6.
a vivid representation; graphic description
a drama that is the image of life
7.
a figure of speech; esp., a metaphor or simile
8. Psychoanalysis
a picture or likeness of a person, as of a parent, usually idealized, constructed in the unconscious and remaining there; imago
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈimaged or ˈimaging
9.
to make a representation or imitation of; portray, delineate, etc.
10.
to reflect; mirror
11.
to picture in the mind; imagine
12.
to be a symbol or type of
13.
to describe graphically, vividly, or with figures of speech
Derived forms
imager (ˈimager)
noun
Word origin
OFr < imagene < L imaginem, acc. of imago, imitation, copy, image, akin to aemulus: see emulate
More idioms containing
image
be the spitting image of someone
COBUILD Collocations
image
clean-cut image
digital image
disturbing images
download images
explicit images
grainy image
graphic image
iconic image
images online
indecent images
macho image
moving images
negative image
photographic images
porn images
pornographic images
possess images
post images
powerful image
present an image
public image
release an image
send images
shocking image
stereotypical image
striking image
view images
vile images
visual image
vivid image
wholesome image
Examples of 'image' in a sentence
image
One person told of how they could still see the graphic images reflected in the train window.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
WHAT'S your mental image of a tech entrepreneur?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The curators supplemented the stories in the images by displaying accompanying artifacts near some of the photographs.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
Some amputees are better able to form a mental image of the movement of a missing limb.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It conjures an image of a shrunken Britain retreating from the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He wants to portray that gangster image, but he is a hard-working player.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Any number of the images that appear in one particular section could, equally effectively, have appeared in a different part.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Build an image in your mind of something made in shiny steel, with many different surfaces, strangely put together and reflecting many differentangles.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The sick messages will destroy the caring image the singer portrays on the show.
The Sun (2015)
These are women keen to preserve a good body image.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Reading those images with modern eyes could certainly be misleading.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Worryingly one image appears to show a cell door wedged shut from the inside using a broom.
The Sun (2015)
The image we project will influence our credibility.
Christianity Today (2000)
This allows for larger moving images than digital screens.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
We have experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death.
The Sun (2009)
This way the camera stays out of the reflected image providing a cinematic trick!
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Yet scroll through the images and things quickly turn nasty.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Cops found a stash of images on his computer.
The Sun (2008)
The brand had something of an image problem.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This may be one of the most recognisable images in art history.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This conjures up images of an industry filled with diehard fans and former players.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The painting is now framed to display both images.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The misjudgment of her desirability fixes the lover in meditation on her mental image.
Pamela Norris Words Of Love: Passionate Women from Heloise to Sylvia Plath (2006)
People just see that image he portrays in the band but he is a superb fella.
The Sun (2007)
It will affect our image in the eyes of international countries.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Her images regularly appeared in news outlets around the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Remember all the fun you once had linking them up to make an image of a person or scene?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We left the pitch with a very good feeling as we showed the good image of Barca.
The Sun (2008)
In other languages
image
British English: image /ˈɪmɪdʒ/ NOUN
If you have an image of someone or something, you have a picture or idea of them in your mind.
These enduring images stick in the mind.
American English: image
Arabic: صُورَةٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: imagem
Chinese: 形象
Croatian: slika
Czech: představa
Danish: billede
Dutch: beeld
European Spanish: imagen
Finnish: mielikuva
French: image
German: Vorstellung mental
Greek: εικόνα
Italian: immagine
Japanese: イメージ
Korean: 이미지
Norwegian: image
Polish: obraz wizerunek
European Portuguese: imagem
Romanian: imagine
Russian: образ
Latin American Spanish: imagen
Swedish: bild
Thai: ภาพพจน์
Turkish: imge
Ukrainian: зображення
Vietnamese: hình ảnh
All related terms of 'image'
body image
an individual's concept of his or her own body
brand image
The brand image of a particular brand of product is the image or impression that people have of it, usually created by advertising .
ghost image
the disembodied spirit of a dead person, supposed to haunt the living as a pale or shadowy vision ; phantom
image-maker
→ handler (sense c )
image tube
a device for producing a visual image formed by other electromagnetic radiation such as infrared or ultraviolet radiation or X-rays
macho image
The image of a person, group, or organization is the way that they appear to other people.
self-image
Your self-image is the set of ideas you have about your own qualities and abilities .
vivid image
If you have an image of something or someone, you have a picture or idea of them in your mind.
digital image
An image is a picture of someone or something.
father image
a person substituted in one's mind for one's father and often the object of emotions felt toward the father
grainy image
An image is a picture of someone or something.
graphic image
An image is a picture of someone or something.
graven image
a carved image used as an idol
iconic image
An image is a picture of someone or something.
image printer
a printer which uses optical technology to produce an image of a complete page from digital input
image problem
A problem is a situation that is unsatisfactory and causes difficulties for people.
image quality
The quality of something is how good or bad it is.
latent image
the invisible image produced by the action of light, etc, on silver halide crystals suspended in the emulsion of a photographic material. It becomes visible after development
mirror image
If something is a mirror image of something else, it is like a reflection of it, either because it is exactly the same or because it is the same but reversed .
mosaic image
the collective image produced by the ommatidia of a compound eye
mother image
a person substituted in one's mind for one's mother and often the object of emotions felt toward the mother
public image
The image of a person, group, or organization is the way that they appear to other people.
virtual image
an optical image formed by the apparent divergence of rays from a point, rather than their actual divergence from a point
visual image
An image is a picture of someone or something.
corporate image
the way an organization is presented to or perceived by its members and the public
image-building
improving the brand image or public image of something or someone by good public relations , advertising , etc
image-conscious
concerned about the way one comes across to other people and the impression one creates
image converter
a device for producing a visual image formed by other electromagnetic radiation such as infrared or ultraviolet radiation or X-rays
image orthicon
a television camera tube in which electrons , emitted from a photoemissive surface in proportion to the intensity of the incident light, are focused onto the target causing secondary emission of electrons
negative image
If you have an image of something or someone, you have a picture or idea of them in your mind.
powerful image
An image is a picture of someone or something.
shocking image
An image is a picture of someone or something.
spitting image
If you say that one person is the spitting image of another, you mean that they look very similar.
striking image
An image is a picture of someone or something.
wholesome image
The image of a person, group, or organization is the way that they appear to other people.
hypnagogic image
an image experienced by a person just before falling asleep , which often resembles a hallucination
image consultant
an expert that can be hired to advise on how to improve the impression given to others in terms of brand or style
image enhancement
a method of improving the definition of a video picture by a computer program , which reduces the lowest grey values to black and the highest to white: used for pictures from microscopes , surveillance cameras , and scanners
image intensifier
any of various devices for amplifying the intensity of an optical image, sometimes used in conjunction with an image converter
image processing
the manipulation or modification of a digitized image, esp in order to enhance its quality
spit and image
a person who bears a strong physical resemblance to another, esp to a relative
subliminal image
an image used in advertising , etc, that is too quick to be registered by the mind but is used to influence the viewer unconsciously
clean-cut image
The image of a person, group, or organization is the way that they appear to other people.
present an image
The image of a person, group, or organization is the way that they appear to other people.
release an image
An image is a picture of someone or something.
stereotypical image
If you have an image of something or someone, you have a picture or idea of them in your mind .
be the image of sb
If you are the image of someone else, you look very much like them.
immy
a television camera tube in which electrons, emitted from a photoemissive surface in proportion to the intensity of the incident light, are focused onto the target causing secondary emission of electrons
be the spitting image of someone
if one person is the spitting image of another person, the first person looks exactly like the second
Chinese translation of 'image'
image
(ˈɪmɪdʒ)
n(c)
(= mental picture) 印象 (yìnxiàng) (个(個), gè)
(= picture) 图(圖)像 (túxiàng) (幅, fú)
(= reflection) 映像 (yìngxiàng) (个(個), gè)
(= public face) 形象 (xíngxiàng) (种(種), zhǒng)
(in poem, novel) 意象 (yìxiàng)
to project an or the image of ... 给(給)人的印象是 ... (gěi rén de yìnxiàng shì ... )
1 (noun)
Definition
a mental picture of someone or something produced by the imagination or memory
The words `Côte d'Azur' conjure up images of sun, sea and sand.
Synonyms
thought
It is my thought that the situation will be resolved.
idea
By the end of the week you will have a clearer idea of the system.
vision
I have a vision of a society free of exploitation and injustice.
concept
She added that the concept of arranged marriages is misunderstood in the west.
impression
My impression is that they are totally out of control.
perception
her perception of the feeling was strong
conception
The symphony is admirable in its conception.
mental picture
conceptualization
2 (noun)
Definition
the appearance or impression given to the public by a person or organization
We are financially clean but we do need to improve our image.
Synonyms
profile
face
Players like him have changed the face of snooker.
front (informal)
a front for crime syndicates
role
mask
His mask cracked, and she saw an angry and violent man.
persona
the contradictions between her private life and her public persona
façade
At work they hid their dislike of each other behind a façade of cheerfulness.
public face
public impression
assumed role
avatar
3 (noun)
Definition
a simile or metaphor
The images in the poem illustrate the poet's frame of mind.
Synonyms
figure of speech
It was just a figure of speech.
metaphor
the writer's use of metaphor
simile
conceit (archaic)
Critics may complain that the novel's central conceit is rather simplistic.
trope
4 (noun)
Definition
an optical reproduction of an object, formed by the lens of an eye or camera, or by a mirror
I peered at my image in the mirror.
Synonyms
reflection
Meg stared at her reflection in the mirror.
appearance
He had the appearance of a college student.
likeness
The museum displays wax likenesses of every U.S. president.
mirror image
I saw in him a mirror image of my younger self.
5 (noun)
Definition
a representation of a person or thing in a work of art or literature
The polished stone bore the graven image of a snakebird.
Synonyms
figure
a life-size bronze figure of a woman
idol
Some denounced them for worshipping idols.
icon
The exhibition features a wide range of religious icons, paintings, and mosaics.
fetish
Tribal elders carried the sacred fetishes.
talisman
a talisman with protective powers
statue
a huge white statue of Chairman Mao
effigy
An effigy was being burned in the town square.
avatar
6 (noun)
Definition
a person or thing that resembles another closely
The boy is the image of his father.
Synonyms
replica
It was a replica, for display only.
copy
Always keep a copy of everything in your own files.
reproduction
a reproduction of a religious painting
counterpart
spit (informal, mainly British)
clone
facsimile
This will be a genuine old copy, not a facsimile.
spitting image (informal)
She's the spitting image of her mother.
similitude
Doppelgänger
(dead) ringer (slang)
double
Your mother sees you as her double.
chip off the old block (informal)
7 (noun)
Definition
an optical reproduction of an object, formed by the lens of an eye or camera, or by a mirror
All people want to see is an image on the TV screen.
Synonyms
picture
I saw his picture in the paper.
photo
photograph
He wants to take some photographs of the house.
representation
a life-like representation of Christ
reproduction
snapshot
TIFF
JPEG
avatar
thumbnail
idiom
See spitting image
Additional synonyms
in the sense of appearance
Definition
the way a person or thing looks
He had the appearance of a college student.
Synonyms
look,
face,
form,
air,
figure,
image,
looks,
bearing,
aspect,
manner,
expression,
demeanour,
mien (literary)
in the sense of conceit
Definition
a far-fetched or clever comparison
Critics may complain that the novel's central conceit is rather simplistic.
Synonyms
image,
idea,
concept,
metaphor,
imagery,
figure of speech,
trope
in the sense of concept
Definition
an abstract or general idea
She added that the concept of arranged marriages is misunderstood in the west.