imply

verb

im-PLY/ɪmˈplaɪ/

Formsimplies, implying, implied

Often confused with infer

4 meanings of imply

1
verbtransitive
To suggest something without saying it openly.
Like pointing at a door instead of telling someone to leave.
Her tone seemed to imply that she didn't believe him.
He never said it, but his silence implied criticism.
Similarsuggest, hint, insinuate, intimate, signal
Oppositestate
Note
2
verbtransitive
To suggest that something is true because of other facts.
Like seeing wet streets and knowing it rained.
These results imply that the new method works better.
The footprints implied that someone had been there recently.
Similarindicate, suggest, signal, show
Note
3
verbtransitive
To make something happen as a sure result.
Like dropping a glass: it means broken pieces for sure.
A larger engine will imply higher fuel costs.
Signing the contract implied giving up other offers.
Similarentail, involve, mean, require, necessitate
Note

Less common meaning

4
verbarchaic
To wrap something up or tangle it together.
And in his bosome secretly there lay / An hatefull Snake, the which his taile vptyes / In many folds, and mortall sting implyes.
1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie QueeneHere, implyes means wraps up or tangles inside its folds.
Note

Practice

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Origin

It came from Latin 'implicare', meaning to fold in or involve, made from 'in' (in) and 'plicare' (to fold). It reached English through Old French.