imagine

imagine — verb

1. to create a picture or scene in your mind, often of something you have never see

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to create a picture or scene in your mind, often of something you have never seen or experienced

Example

Élise closed her eyes and tried to imagine what the old castle looked like before it fell into ruin.

imagine + wh-clause for mental scenes

Can you imagine living in a house with twelve bedrooms and a pool in the garden?

imagine + -ing for hypothetical situations

Common collocations
  • imagine a scene
  • imagine yourself
  • imagine what it is like
  • can barely imagine
  • could not imagine
Synonyms
  • picture

    more informal; suggests a clearer, more detailed mental image

  • visualise

    more formal and specific; used when the mental image is very vivid

  • envision

    more formal; often used for future possibilities or plans

Antonyms
  • forget

    to lose the mental image or memory of something

Grammar Patterns

imagine + noun phrase

imagine + -ing verb

imagine + that-clause

imagine + wh-clause

Usage Note

Often used with forms of 'can' or 'could' to express the ability to picture something: 'I can imagine…' / 'I couldn't imagine…'. The gerund (-ing form) is required after 'imagine', never the to-infinitive.

Common Mistakes

I imagined to fly like a bird.
I imagined flying like a bird.
imagine must be followed by a gerund, not a to-infinitive.
I can't imagine to live without my phone.
I can't imagine living without my phone.
the verb after imagine takes the -ing form.

2. to have a guess that something is true, basing your view on signs rather than so

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to have a guess that something is true, basing your view on signs rather than solid proof

Example

I imagine the train will be late because of the heavy snow on the railway tracks.

imagine + that-clause for supposition

The restaurant looks very busy tonight, so I imagine we will have to wait for a table.

Common collocations
  • I imagine (that)
  • as you might imagine
  • it is reasonable to imagine
Synonyms
  • suppose

    very close in meaning; slightly more tentative

  • guess

    more informal; implies less evidence or thought behind the opinion

  • assume

    more formal; suggests taking something for granted as a basis for reasoning

Antonyms
  • know

    to be certain of the facts rather than guessing

Grammar Patterns

imagine + (that) + clause

Usage Note

Frequently takes a that-clause. In informal speech, the conjunction 'that' is often dropped: 'I imagine you are tired.'

Common Mistakes

I imagine it's raining outside' (when you can see through the window that it is raining).
I think it's raining outside.
imagine suggests uncertainty or inference, not a direct observation.

3. to be under the wrong impression that something is real, even though it does not

3.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to be under the wrong impression that something is real, even though it does not actually exist or is not true

Example

The hiker imagined he saw a bear in the fog, but it was only a large grey rock.

imagine + that-clause for false perception

Young children sometimes imagine there is a monster hiding under the bed at night.

Common collocations
  • imagine things
  • only imagined
  • just imagined it
Synonyms
  • fancy

    more literary and dated; suggests an unrealistic or whimsical belief

  • fantasise

    suggests imagining pleasant but unlikely or impossible things

Grammar Patterns

imagine + (that) + clause

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is about deliberately creating a mental picture for enjoyment or planning, whereas sense 3 is about mistakenly believing something false. The context often makes the falseness clear through a contrasting statement.

Common Mistakes

I imagined a beautiful beach' (when you meant the creative sense).
Reserve this sense for situations where the belief turns out to be false or unreal.

4. used to show that you are very surprised or shocked by something, especially som

4.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

used to show that you are very surprised or shocked by something, especially someone's actions or behaviour

Example

Imagine! Eitan quit his job without finding another one first.

imperative exclamation: Imagine!

Imagine forgetting your own child's birthday — how could any parent do such a thing?

Common collocations
  • Imagine!
  • just imagine
Synonyms
  • would you believe

    more conversational; implies the listener may find it hard to accept

  • can you believe

    similar function but used as a question rather than an exclamation

Grammar Patterns

Imagine! + clause or phrase

Usage Note

This is an exclamatory use, often standing alone at the start of a sentence or as its own utterance. It conveys disbelief or moral shock, not a request to picture something. Common in informal speech and writing.

Common Mistakes

Using this sense in formal writing.
Reserve it for informal or conversational contexts where the shock is genuine.

5. used in negative sentences to emphasise that something is very difficult to beli

5.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

used in negative sentences to emphasise that something is very difficult to believe, accept, or understand

Example

I cannot imagine why anyone would climb that dangerous mountain without proper equipment.

can't imagine + wh-clause for emphasis

You can imagine how upset Folake was when she lost the only photograph of her grandmother.

Common collocations
  • cannot imagine
  • can't imagine
  • could not imagine
  • you can imagine
Synonyms
  • believe

    used similarly in negatives: 'I can't believe…' but expresses stronger disbelief

  • conceive

    more formal; 'I cannot conceive of…' implies an inability to grasp something even as a possibility

Grammar Patterns

can't + imagine + wh-clause

cannot + imagine + that-clause

Usage Note

Nearly always appears in negative constructions with 'can't', 'cannot', or 'could not'. The positive form ('I imagine…') belongs to sense 2. The pattern 'you can imagine' (positive but open to interpretation) serves as a rhetorical appeal to the listener's understanding.

Common Mistakes

I imagine you are upset' (when you mean to emphasise disbelief).
I can't imagine you being upset about that.
use the negative form for emphasis.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe forming a mental image, but they differ in formality and focus. 'Picture' is the most informal and direct — you might say 'I can picture her face' in everyday conversation. 'Visualise' is more deliberate and technique-oriented; therapists and athletes often use it for guided mental rehearsal. 'Envision' leans toward future scenarios or grand plans ('She envisioned a company with global reach'), making it a favourite in business and political writing. 'Conceive' is the most formal, often used with 'of' and implying an intellectual act of creation ('He conceived of a machine that could translate speech'). For everyday imagining of scenes and people, 'picture' and 'visualise' are the best choices; for ambitious future planning, 'envision' fits better.

picture ↗visualiseenvisionconceive ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • imagine a world
  • imagine a future
  • imagine a scene
  • imagine the look

Adverbs

  • just imagine
  • always imagined
  • never imagined
  • barely imagine
  • only imagine
  • easily imagine

Phrases

  • can't imagine
  • can you imagine
  • you can imagine
  • I imagine so
  • just imagine

Prepositions

  • imagine as
  • imagine without
  • imagine with

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Imagine' comes from Latin 'imaginari', meaning 'to form a mental picture of something'. The root is 'imago', which means 'image, likeness, or copy'. It entered English through Old French 'imaginer' around the 14th century. The word is related to 'image', 'imitation', and 'imaginary' — all sharing the idea of creating or perceiving a likeness of something real.