# imagine

Pronunciation: say "i-MAJ-in" /ɪˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪn/

## Verb

1. To form a picture or idea of something in the mind, or to use the imagination to create new ideas.
   - Simple: To make a picture or idea in your mind of something that is not there or not real.
   - _Imagine a city where no one ever needs to drive a car._
   - _Architects often imagine entire buildings before drawing a single line._
2. To suppose or guess that something is probably the case, without being sure.
   - Simple: To think something is probably true, though you do not know for sure.
   - _I imagine you're exhausted after such a long flight._
   - _We imagine this year's results will be similar to last year's._
3. To believe in something that exists only in one's mind, often something untrue.
   - Simple: To believe something is real when it is only in your mind.
   - _She imagined that everyone was talking about her behind her back._
   - _Patients under stress sometimes imagine symptoms that no test can confirm._
4. Used to ridicule an idea by implying it is absurd or poorly thought out. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Used to make fun of an idea by showing that it sounds silly.
   - _Imagine believing every rumor you read online without ever checking it._
   - _Imagine showing up an hour late and still expecting them to wait for you._

## Verb

5. To contrive or devise a scheme; to plot something deliberately. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To deliberately think up a plan or scheme.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A short piece of fan fiction or prompt that places the reader as a participant in a new scenario with a fictional character or celebrity.

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English ymagynen, borrowed from Middle French imaginer, which came from Latin imāginor, based on imāgō, meaning 'a copy, likeness, or image'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/imagine (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).