imagine
verb /ɪˈmædʒɪn/
/ɪˈmædʒɪn/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they imagine | /ɪˈmædʒɪn/ /ɪˈmædʒɪn/ |
| he / she / it imagines | /ɪˈmædʒɪnz/ /ɪˈmædʒɪnz/ |
| past simple imagined | /ɪˈmædʒɪnd/ /ɪˈmædʒɪnd/ |
| past participle imagined | /ɪˈmædʒɪnd/ /ɪˈmædʒɪnd/ |
| -ing form imagining | /ɪˈmædʒɪnɪŋ/ /ɪˈmædʒɪnɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to form a picture in your mind of what something might be like
- imagine something The house was just as she had imagined it.
- Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to find him standing there.
- I can't imagine life without the children now.
- It's hard to imagine a more cynical political strategy.
- imagine (that)… Close your eyes and imagine (that) you are in a forest.
- imagine what, how, etc… Can you imagine what it must be like to lose your job after 20 years?
- imagine doing something Imagine earning that much money!
- She imagined walking into the office and handing in her resignation.
- imagine somebody/something doing something I can just imagine him saying that!
- imagine somebody/something to be/do something I had imagined her to be older than that.
- imagine somebody/something/yourself (as) something He loved to imagine himself as the hero.
- I find it difficult to imagine her a grandmother.
- I can imagine him really angry.
- (informal) ‘He was furious.’ ‘I can imagine.’
Synonyms imagineimagine- think
- see
- envisage
- envision
- imagine to form an idea in your mind of what somebody/something might be like:
- The house was just as she had imagined it.
- think to imagine something that might happen or might have happened:
- We couldn’t think where you’d gone.
- Just think—this time tomorrow we’ll be lying on a beach.
- see to consider something as a future possibility; to imagine somebody as something:
- I can’t see her changing her mind.
- His colleagues see him as a future director.
- envisage (especially British English) to imagine what will happen in the future:
- I don’t envisage working with him again.
- envision to imagine what a situation will be like in the future, especially a situation that you intend to work towards:
- They envision an equal society, free from poverty and disease.
- to imagine/see/envisage/envision somebody/something as something
- to imagine/see/envisage/envision (somebody) doing something
- to imagine/think/see/envisage/envision who/what/how…
- to imagine/think/envisage/envision that…
More Like This Verbs usually followed by -ing formsVerbs usually followed by -ing forms- avoid
- consider
- delay
- deny
- enjoy
- escape
- finish
- give up
- imagine
- involve
- mention
- mind
- miss
- postpone
- practise
- resist
- risk
- suggest
Extra Examples- Can you imagine a world free from the drudgery of work?
- I can well imagine the atmosphere at home at this moment.
- If I'm late home my mother always imagines the worst.
- I can't even begin to imagine the horrors that they have been through.
- I could clearly imagine the scene in the office.
- It is difficult to imagine a world without money.
- She could just imagine her mother's look of horror.
- I had fondly imagined that riding a mule would be easy.
- I'd like to imagine that she's safe and happy somewhere.
- She had imagined that she'd get a warm welcome.
- I started to imagine what he might say.
- He hardly dared to imagine what else was going to be divulged.
- Let us imagine what really might have happened.
- She imagined walking onto the stage to huge applause.
- I could hardly imagine living in such a remote and desolate spot.
- I always imagined him following in his father's footsteps.
- I can't actually imagine her falling for that trick.
- The sight was disturbing as you can quite imagine.
- There's more at stake here than you can possibly imagine.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- clearly
- easily
- readily
- …
- can
- try to
- begin to
- …
- let us imagine
- [transitive] to believe something that is not true
- imagine (that)… He’s always imagining (that) we’re talking about him behind his back.
- imagine something There's nobody there. You're imagining things.
Extra Examples- He was always keen to avenge insults, real or imagined.
- She knew she was simply imagining things.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- really
- seriously
- almost
- …
- be easy to
- be imagining things
- real and imagined
- real or imagined
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] to think that something is probably true synonym suppose, assumeExpress Yourself SpeculatingSpeculatingIn some exams, you have to talk about what you can see in a picture and speculate about the situation or a wider issue prompted by the picture. These are ways of saying what you think might be the case:
- I think it's likely that these people know each other.
- I imagine she's his wife.
- They might/may/could be related.
- I would think/imagine/guess they've been waiting for some time.
- I guess that the car has broken down.
- I think this has probably happened before.
- It looks to me as though the woman is very angry.
- Perhaps/Probably/Possibly/It may be that/Maybe there has been an accident.
- ‘Can we still buy tickets for the concert?’ ‘I imagine so.’
- imagine (that)… I don’t imagine (that) they’ll refuse.
Extra ExamplesTopics Doubt, guessing and certaintyb1- I don't imagine he'll get here now, do you?
- You don't seriously imagine I'll agree to that?
- I could almost imagine you were jealous.
- You shouldn't imagine that he's anything but a ruthless man.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French imaginer, from Latin imaginare ‘form an image of, represent’ and imaginari ‘picture to oneself’, both from imago, imagin- ‘image’.