# imagine

/ˌɪˈmædʒən/ (US) · /ɪmˈædʒɪn/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/imagine
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to form a mental picture

verb · CEFR A1

to form a picture or idea in your mind of what something might be like.

For teachers: to form a mental image or concept of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality.

- Close your eyes and imagine you are sitting on a warm beach.
- It is difficult for modern audiences to imagine the sheer scale of the original monument before the earthquake destroyed its upper tiers.

### 2. to suppose or believe

verb · CEFR B1

to think that something is probably true, even if you are not sure.

For teachers: to suppose, assume, or conjecture; often used to introduce a tentative opinion or a polite inquiry.

- I imagine the shop will be very busy on a Saturday morning.
- I imagine that the board will require a more detailed financial breakdown before they approve such a significant increase in the marketing budget.

### 3. mocking an idea

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal · Slang

you use this to suggest that an idea is silly or that someone is wrong to think it.

For teachers: used as an imperative to mock a proposition by suggesting it is absurd or poorly conceived.

- Imagine thinking that the earth is flat in this day and age.
- Imagine believing that a simple software update could resolve such a fundamental hardware flaw.

Usage: Often used as a standalone imperative or to start a sentence fragment mocking a specific behavior.

### 4. fan fiction

noun · CEFR C2 · Slang · Informal

a short story where the reader is a character meeting a famous person.

For teachers: a brief piece of fan fiction, often written in the second person, that places the reader in a romantic or dramatic scenario with a celebrity.

- She spent the afternoon reading a Harry Styles imagine on her phone.
- The platform is flooded with thousands of celebrity imagines, ranging from brief romantic encounters to elaborate alternate-universe dramas.

## Examples

- I can imagine how happy you are.
- Close your eyes and try to imagine a peaceful beach with white sand and blue water.
- Architects must be able to imagine how light will move through a building at different times of the year before the first stone is even laid.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.