Imagine Meaning
/ɪˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪn/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo form a mental image of something; to envision or create something in one's mind.
verbTo believe in something created by one's own mind, often something false.
Sentence Examples
Can you imagine what our lives would be like without electricity?
Can you imagine me making a cake?
CEFR Practice Quiz
Close your eyes and ____ a peaceful beach with gentle waves.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Can you ____ what life will be like in the year 2050 with all the new technology?
Word Origin & History
From Middle English ymagynen, from Middle French imaginer, from Latin imāginor, from imāginem, the accusative singular of imāgō (“a copy, likeness, image”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Imagine all the people / Livin' life in peace"
— 1971, 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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Close your eyes and ____ a peaceful beach with gentle waves.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Can you ____ what life will be like in the year 2050 with all the new technology?