Etymology From Middle English ymagynen, from Middle French imaginer, from Latin imāginor, from imāginem, the accusative singular of imāgō (“a copy, likeness, image”).
To form a mental image of something; to envision or create something in one's mind.
Try to imagine a pink elephant.
Imagine yourself in a packed airport lounge.
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Imagine sitting on a tropical beach with a cool mimosa.
Imagine all the people / Livin' life in peace1971, John Lennon, “Imagine”, in Imagine (album):
Or in the night, imagining ſome feare, / How eaſie is a buſh ſuppos’d a Beare?c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 159, column 2:
Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:
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To believe in something created by one's own mind, often something false.
She imagined that the man wanted to kill her.
There's nothing there; you're just imagining things.
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To assume; to suppose.
I imagine that he will need to rest after such a long flight.
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To conjecture; to guess.
I cannot even imagine what you are up to!
The board imagines the merger will increase profits by 25%
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To use one's imagination.
Imagine that we were siblings.
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Obsolete To contrive in purpose; to scheme; to devise.
How long wil ye imagine miſchiefe againſt a man?1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 62:3, column 1:
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Internet, Sarcastic Used to mock an idea by suggesting that it is ridiculous or ill thought through.
Etymology From Middle English ymagynen, from Middle French imaginer, from Latin imāginor, from imāginem, the accusative singular of imāgō (“a copy, likeness, image”).
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LifestyleSlang A short fanfic or prompt placing a reader insert in a novel scenario with a character or celebrity.
Some imagines are more sexual and creepy than others: "Imagine Stiles walking in on you giving Scott a blowjob."2015 March 2, Laura Starling, “FFIC101: An Introduction to the Horrors of Fanfiction”, in Critic, University of Otago, page 21:
i personally like imagines and fanfics so i found a good amount of kylo ren x reader fics and started going through them.2016 December, Jocelyn Chambers, “The Exclusion Of People Of Color In Fanfiction”, in Majesty, page 96:
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If I get inspired immediately, I can bust out an imagine in 5-10 minutes.2019, "thranduilsperkybutt", quoted in "Author Spotlight: thranduilsperkybutt", Lemon, February 2019, page 37