imagine
Word family
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++ldoce_724_zi·ma·gine /ɪˈmædʒɪn/ ●●● S1 W2 verb [transitive] 1 IMAGINEto form a picture or idea in your mind about what something could be like 想象imagine (that) Imagine that you have just won a million pounds. 设想你刚刚赢得一百万英镑。 Imagine life without hot water. 想象一下没有热水的生活。imagine what/how/why etc Can you imagine what it’s like when it’s really hot out here in Delhi? 你能想象出德里这儿热起来是什么样子吗？imagine somebody doing something She could imagine dark-robed figures moving silently along the stone corridors. 她可以想象出身穿黑袍的人悄无声息地在石廊里穿行的情景。(just) imagine doing something Imagine doing a horrible job like that! 想象一下做那种可怕的工作吧！ Just imagine going all that way for nothing! 想想看，白走了那么多的路！imagine somebody/something as something He didn’t quite dare to imagine himself as a real artist. 他不太敢把自己想象成一个真正的艺术家。imagine somebody in/with/without etc something Somehow, I can’t imagine him without a beard. 不知为什么，我想象不出他没有胡子的样子。it’s difficult/easy/possible/impossible etc to imagine something After such a dry summer, it’s difficult to imagine what rain looks like. 经过如此干燥的夏季，很难想象下雨的样子。n GrammarImagine is followed by an -ing form, not an infinitive. You say: I can’t imagine living without music. ✗Don’t say: I can’t imagine to live without music.2 WRONG/UNJUSTIFIEDto have a false or wrong idea about something 胡思乱想；误以为 Perhaps she’d never really been there at all – perhaps she’d just imagined it. 可能她从未到过那儿——也许这都是她的幻想。 imagined dangers 凭空臆想出来的危险imagine (that) She had imagined that the doctor would be male. 她原本以为会是个男医生。 I was surprised when I saw the farm. I had imagined it would be much bigger. 看见农场时我很惊讶我原来想象它会大得多。imagine something/somebody to be something There’s nobody here. You’re just imagining things. 这儿没人，你只是在胡思乱想。3 [not in progressive]THINK SO/NOT BE SURE to think that something is true or may happen, but without being sure or having proof 〔不确定或没有根据地〕猜想，猜测 ‘A very complicated subject, I imagine, ’ said Edwin. “一个非常复杂的问题，我猜想。”埃德温说。imagine (that) You are obviously tired and I imagine that nothing would make you admit it. 你明显是累了，但我想你是绝对不肯承认的。4 you can/can’t imagine something British English spokenVERY used to emphasize how good, bad etc something is 你能想象到/你想象不到某事〔用于强调某物好、坏等的程度〕n COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1 : to form a picture or idea in your mind about what something could be likephrasesbe easy to imagineIt’s easy to imagine how the change in the law caused a lot of confusion.be hard/difficult to imagineIt’s hard to imagine the suffering she must have gone through.can easily imagineI can easily imagine how frightening the accident must have been.can well imagine (=can easily imagine)I can well imagine how delighted you were with the news.can hardly/scarcely imagine (=find it difficult to imagine)He could scarcely imagine what living in such poor conditions must have been like.can’t/couldn’t imagineHe couldn’t imagine life without his wife.what somebody had imagined (=what someone thought something would be like, before they saw it or experienced it)The office was not what he had imagined.be bigger/smaller/worse etc than you had imaginedThe job interview proved to be much worse than I had imagined it would be.let us imagine … (=used to encourage someone else to think about a possibility)Let us imagine that you are an employer who wants to recruit some new staff.somebody is imagining things (=someone has a false or wrong idea about something)She’s imagining things if she thinks she has a chance of winning the prize.adverbsnaively imagine (=to imagine something without realizing how complicated the situation is)She had naively imagined that marriage would solve all her problems.fondly imagine (=to believe something that is untrue)He had fondly imagined that she was in love with him. THESAURUSimagine to form a picture or idea in your mind about what something might be like 想象When I think of Honolulu, I imagine long white beaches and palm trees. 想到檀香山我的脑海里就浮现出连绵的白色沙滩和棕榈树。I can’t really imagine being a millionaire. 我无法想象百万富翁是个什么样子。visualize to form a picture of someone or something in your mind, especially something that is definitely going to happen or exist in the future 设想，想象〔尤指将会发生或出现的事〕Anna visualized meeting Greg again at the airport. 安娜设想在机场和格雷格重逢的场面。The finished house may be hard to visualize. 房子完工后是什么样子也许很难想象。picture to form a clear picture of something or someone in your mind 想象，设想I can still picture my father, even though he died a long time ago. 我依旧能想象出父亲的样子，尽管他去世已久。The town was just how she had pictured it from his description. 这座城镇和她根据他的描述想象的完全一样。envisage /ɪnˈvɪzɪdʒ/ especially British English, envision to imagine something as possible or likely to happen in the future 设想，展望How do you envisage your career developing over the next ten years? 你对自己未来十年的职业发展是如何设想的？nThey had envisioned the creation of a single armed force, small but efficient.conceive of something formal to imagine a situation, especially one that is difficult to imagine 想象[设想]某事物〔尤指难以想象的情形〕For many people, music is so important that they cannot conceive of life without it. 对许多人来说音乐太重要了，他们无法想象没有音乐的生活是什么样子。fantasize to imagine something exciting that you would like to happen, but that is very unlikely to happen 幻想，想象〔发生的可能性很小的令人兴奋的事〕I used to fantasize about becoming a film star. 以前我曾幻想过成为电影明星。daydream to imagine pleasant things, so that you forget where you are and what you should be doing 做白日梦Mark began to daydream, and didn’t even hear the teacher’s question. 马克开始做起了白日梦，连老师的提问都没听见。hallucinate to imagine that you are seeing things that are not really there, especially because you are ill or have taken drugs 〔尤因生病或吸毒〕产生幻觉The drug can cause some people to hallucinate. 这种药会让一些人产生幻觉。When I saw the walls moving, I thought I must be hallucinating. 看到墙在动时，我想我一定是产生了幻觉。5 FREQUENCY 使用频率
Examples from the Corpus
imagine• Now imagine 5 billion people, the entire population of Earth, each setting off a 24ton explosion at the same time.• The lake is much prettier than I had imagined.• It is impossible to imagine a Cheyenne war party coming out of the canyon, because the canyon is gone.• Try to imagine a room as big as a football field.• Manson offers EMGs as an alternative, but I can't imagine anyone objecting to the sound of the Seymours.• I can't imagine anyone wearing clothes that colour.• Just imagine having to spend the rest of your life in jail.• It was hard to imagine how the system could be improved or made more convenient.• Surely she'd imagined it; the light wasn't very good, and Jean knew that shadows could be misleading.• She had never suffered from claustrophobia, but right now she could imagine just how its victims felt.• But then you can't imagine that, can you?• Mary was always imagining that people were talking about her behind her back.• For a while she imagined that she was a rich woman, living in a beautiful house.• When I was a child I would lie awake imagining that there were monsters in the dark corners of my room.• ""I'm sure I saw Brian in the park today.'' ""No, you must be imagining things. Brian hasn't lived here for nearly fifteen years.''• In an effort to restrain himself, he tried to imagine things in the worst possible light.• From the description Janet gave in her letter it was easy to imagine what her new apartment was like.• I can quite easily imagine you running your own business.imagine (that)• That man can read a wind sock quicker, better, than anyone you can imagine.• It appeared that Montpelier was far more dangerous than anyone could ever have imagined.• Perhaps I just imagined hearing her moaning a little in the night, and shaking splinters of glass out of her long grey hair.• It was hard to imagine how the system could be improved or made more convenient.• She had not imagined she would ever dare say this aloud.• Imagine that you've just won six million dollars.• He reconstructed the events as he imagined they had happened that evening in April.• He imagined this woman draped on Humphrey Bogart's arm and walking into a seedy bar.• I imagined trophies to be special drinking glasses for very large people.• I imagine you're feeling pretty homesick.imagine (that)• It appeared that Montpelier was far more dangerous than anyone could ever have imagined.• That man can read a wind sock quicker, better, than anyone you can imagine.• Perhaps I just imagined hearing her moaning a little in the night, and shaking splinters of glass out of her long grey hair.• It was hard to imagine how the system could be improved or made more convenient.• She had not imagined she would ever dare say this aloud.• He reconstructed the events as he imagined they had happened that evening in April.• He imagined this woman draped on Humphrey Bogart's arm and walking into a seedy bar.• I imagined trophies to be special drinking glasses for very large people.imagine (that)• It appeared that Montpelier was far more dangerous than anyone could ever have imagined.• That man can read a wind sock quicker, better, than anyone you can imagine.• Perhaps I just imagined hearing her moaning a little in the night, and shaking splinters of glass out of her long grey hair.• It was hard to imagine how the system could be improved or made more convenient.• She had not imagined she would ever dare say this aloud.• He reconstructed the events as he imagined they had happened that evening in April.• He imagined this woman draped on Humphrey Bogart's arm and walking into a seedy bar.• I imagined trophies to be special drinking glasses for very large people.Origin imagine (1300-1400) French imaginer, from Latin imaginari, from imago; → IMAGEi·ma·gine verb →n GRAMMAR1 →n COLLOCATIONS1
→THESAURUS1 →5 FREQUENCY1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable
→THESAURUS1 →5 FREQUENCY1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable
picture mind a Corpus to your idea or in form
imagine
i‧ma‧gine S1 W2 /ɪˈmædʒən, ɪˈmædʒɪn/
verb [transitive]
imagine (that)
Imagine that you have just won a million pounds.
Imagine life without hot water.
imagine what/how/why etc
Can you imagine what it’s like when it’s really hot out here in Delhi?
imagine somebody doing something
She could imagine dark-robed figures moving silently along the stone corridors.
(just) imagine doing something
Imagine doing a horrible job like that!
Just imagine going all that way for nothing!
imagine somebody/something as something
He didn’t quite dare to imagine himself as a real artist.
imagine somebody in/with/without etc something
Somehow, I can’t imagine him without a beard.
it’s difficult/easy/possible/impossible etc to imagine something
After such a dry summer, it’s difficult to imagine what rain looks like.
2. to have a false or wrong idea about something:
Perhaps she’d never really been there at all – perhaps she’d just imagined it.
imagined dangers
imagine (that)
She had imagined that the doctor would be male.
I was surprised when I saw the farm. I had imagined it would be much bigger.
imagine something/somebody to be something
There’s nobody here. You’re just imagining things.
3. [not in progressive] to think that something is true or may happen, but without being sure or having proof:
‘A very complicated subject, I imagine,’ said Edwin.
imagine (that)
You are obviously tired and I imagine that nothing would make you admit it.
4. you can/can’t imagine something British English spoken used to emphasize how good, bad etc something is
You can/can’t imagine how/what/why etc
You can imagine how angry I was!
You can’t imagine what a terrible week we had.
■ phrases
▪be easy to imagine It’s easy to imagine how the change in the law caused a lot of confusion.
▪be hard/difficult to imagine It’s hard to imagine the suffering she must have gone through.
▪can easily imagine I can easily imagine how frightening the accident must have been.
▪can well imagine (=can easily imagine) I can well imagine how delighted you were with the news.
▪can hardly/scarcely imagine (=find it difficult to imagine) He could scarcely imagine what living in such poor conditions must have been like.
▪can’t/couldn’t imagine He couldn’t imagine life without his wife.
▪what somebody had imagined (=what someone thought something would be like, before they saw it or experienced it) The office was not what he had imagined.
▪be bigger/smaller/worse etc than you had imagined The job interview proved to be much worse than I had imagined it would be.
▪let us imagine … (=used to encourage someone else to think about a possibility) Let us imagine that you are an employer who wants to recruit some new staff.
▪somebody is imagining things (=someone has a false or wrong idea about something) She’s imagining things if she thinks she has a chance of winning the prize.
■ adverbs
▪naively imagine (=to imagine something without realizing how complicated the situation is) She had naively imagined that marriage would solve all her problems.
▪fondly imagine (=to believe something that is untrue) He had fondly imagined that she was in love with him.
▪ imagine to form a picture or idea in your mind about what something might be like: When I think of Honolulu, I imagine long white beaches and palm trees. | I can’t really imagine being a millionaire.
▪visualize to form a picture of someone or something in your mind, especially something that is definitely going to happen or exist in the future: Anna visualized meeting Greg again at the airport. | The finished house may be hard to visualize.
▪picture to form a clear picture of something or someone in your mind: I can still picture my father, even though he died a long time ago. | The town was just how she had pictured it from his description.
▪envisage /ɪnˈvɪzɪdʒ/ especially British English, envision to imagine something as possible or likely to happen in the future: How do you envisage your career developing over the next ten years? | They had envisioned the creation of a single armed force, small but efficient.
▪conceive of something formal to imagine a situation, especially one that is difficult to imagine: For many people, music is so important that they cannot conceive of life without it.
▪fantasize to imagine something exciting that you would like to happen, but that is very unlikely to happen: I used to fantasize about becoming a film star.
▪daydream to imagine pleasant things, so that you forget where you are and what you should be doing: Mark began to daydream, and didn’t even hear the teacher’s question.
▪hallucinate to imagine that you are seeing things that are not really there, especially because you are ill or have taken drugs: The drug that can cause some people to hallucinate. | When I saw the walls moving, I thought I must be hallucinating.
i‧ma‧gine S1 W2 /ɪˈmædʒən, ɪˈmædʒɪn/
verb [transitive] Word Family: adjective: imaginable ≠ unimaginable, imaginary, imaginative ≠ unimaginative, unimagined; noun: imagination, imaginings; adverb: unimaginably, imaginatively; verb: imagine
1. to form a picture or idea in your mind about what something could be likeimagine (that)
imagine what/how/why etc
imagine somebody doing something
(just) imagine doing something
imagine somebody/something as something
imagine somebody in/with/without etc something
it’s difficult/easy/possible/impossible etc to imagine something
2. to have a false or wrong idea about something:
imagine (that)
imagine something/somebody to be something
3. [not in progressive] to think that something is true or may happen, but without being sure or having proof:
imagine (that)
4. you can/can’t imagine something British English spoken used to emphasize how good, bad etc something is
You can/can’t imagine how/what/why etc
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imagine to form an idea in your mind of what sb/sth might be like 指想象、设想 ：◆ The house was just as she had imagined it. 这房子正如她所想象的。 think to imagine sth that might happen or might have happened 指猜想、想象、试想 ：◆ We couldn't think where you'd gone. 我们猜想不出来你到哪里去了。 ◆ Just think —this time tomorrow we'll be lying on a beach.想想看，明天这个时候我们就躺在海滩上了。 see to consider sth as a future possibility; to imagine sb as sth 指设想、想象 ：◆ I can't see her changing her mind. 我无法想象她会改变主意。 ◆ His colleagues see him as a future director. 他的同事认为他很可能是未来的负责人。 envisage ( to imagine what will happen in the futureespecially
BrE 指想象、设想、展望 ：◆ I don't envisage working with him again. 我想象不出再与他一起工作的可能。 NOTE The usual word for this in American English isenvision (see below).在美式英语中，这一意义常用 envision（见下文）。 envision to imagine what a situation will be like in the future, especially a situation that you intend to work towards 指展望、想象 ：◆ They envision an equal society, free from poverty and disease. 他们向往一个没有贫穷和疾病的平等社会。 NOTE Envision is used especially in business and political contexts. In North American English it is also used as another form of the wordenvisage .* envision 尤用于商业和政治语境，在美式英语中亦作 envisage 的另一种形式 ：◆ I don't envision working with him again. 我想象不出再与他一起工作的可能。
Patterns
to imagine/see/envisage/envision sb/sth as sthto imagine/see/envisage/envision (sb) doing sth to imagine/think/see/envisage/envision who/what/how… to imagine/think/envisage/envision that…
imagine to form an idea in your mind of what sb/sth might be like 指想象、设想 ：◆ The house was just as she had imagined it. 这房子正如她所想象的。 think to imagine sth that might happen or might have happened 指猜想、想象、试想 ：◆ We couldn't think where you'd gone. 我们猜想不出来你到哪里去了。 ◆ Just think —this time tomorrow we'll be lying on a beach.想想看，明天这个时候我们就躺在海滩上了。 see to consider sth as a future possibility; to imagine sb as sth 指设想、想象 ：◆ I can't see her changing her mind. 我无法想象她会改变主意。 ◆ His colleagues see him as a future director. 他的同事认为他很可能是未来的负责人。 envisage ( to imagine what will happen in the futureespecially
BrE 指想象、设想、展望 ：◆ I don't envisage working with him again. 我想象不出再与他一起工作的可能。 NOTE The usual word for this in American English isenvision (see below).在美式英语中，这一意义常用 envision（见下文）。 envision to imagine what a situation will be like in the future, especially a situation that you intend to work towards 指展望、想象 ：◆ They envision an equal society, free from poverty and disease. 他们向往一个没有贫穷和疾病的平等社会。 NOTE Envision is used especially in business and political contexts. In North American English it is also used as another form of the wordenvisage .* envision 尤用于商业和政治语境，在美式英语中亦作 envisage 的另一种形式 ：◆ I don't envision working with him again. 我想象不出再与他一起工作的可能。
Patterns
to imagine/see/envisage/envision sb/sth as sthto imagine/see/envisage/envision (sb) doing sth to imagine/think/see/envisage/envision who/what/how… to imagine/think/envisage/envision that…
◆ I think it's likely that these people know each other.我认为这些人可能彼此认识。 ◆ I imagine she's his wife.我猜她是他的妻子。 ◆ They might/may/could be related.( BrE or NAmE 他们可能有亲属关系。 ◆ I would think/imagine/guess they've been waiting for some time.( BrE 我猜他们已经等了一段时间。 ◆ I guess that the car has broken down.( NAmE 我猜是车抛锚了。 ◆ I think this has probably happened before.我觉得这事很可能以前发生过。 ◆ It looks to me as though the woman is very angry.我看这女人好像很生气。 ◆ Perhaps/Probably/Possibly/It may be that/Maybe there has been an accident.( BrE or NAmE 可能出了事故。