imagined

IPA/ɪˈmædʒ.ɪn/
KK[ˌɪmˈædʒənd]IPA/ɪˈmædʒ.ɪn/

imagined — verb

  • imaginedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • imagineds3rd person singular
  • imagineding-ing form
  • imaginededpast simple

1. to see a scene or thing in your mind, for example a place you have never visited

1.動詞及物 / 不及物A2
釋義

to see a scene or thing in your mind, for example a place you have never visited or a situation that has not yet happened

例句

Yuki closed her eyes and imagined a quiet beach with soft white sand.

imagine + noun phrase for mental scene

Can you imagine living in a house made entirely of glass?

imagine + -ing form in question

同義詞
  • picture

    suggests a clearer, more detailed mental image, like looking at a photograph

  • visualize

    more deliberate; often used for planning or performance preparation

  • conceive

    more formal; focuses on forming a new idea rather than a visual scene

文法句型

imagine + noun phrase

imagine + that-clause

imagine + -ing form

imagine + object + as + noun/adjective

用法筆記

This sense is the most general and most common. The object can be a noun, a clause, or a gerund. 'Imagine + as' is used when comparing the imagined thing to a role or type.

常見錯誤

❌I imagine a dog.
✅I imagine a dog running through a field.
💡'imagine' sounds unnatural with just a plain noun; it needs a richer description or a clause to show what you are picturing.

2. to have a feeling that something is correct or likely, without being fully certa

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

to have a feeling that something is correct or likely, without being fully certain about it

例句

I imagine Noor will arrive around six, since the train gets in at five.

imagine + that-clause for supposition

Kemi imagined that the meeting would be short, but it lasted three hours.

同義詞
  • suppose

    very similar but slightly more tentative and often used with 'I'

  • guess

    less formal; suggests less confidence in the assumption

  • assume

    stronger; suggests you take something as true without questioning it

反義詞
  • know

    implies certainty, while 'imagine' implies probability

文法句型

imagine + that-clause

imagine + wh-clause

I imagine + sentence (parenthetical)

can't imagine + clause

用法筆記

The object is usually a that-clause or a wh-clause. This sense is common in polite conversation when offering a guess about something. When used parenthetically ('X, I imagine, has already...'), it softens the statement as a personal opinion.

常見錯誤

❌I imagine it will rain tomorrow.' (ambiguous — could be supposition or false belief)
✅I imagine it will rain tomorrow, so I packed an umbrella.
💡Adding a consequence or context shows you mean a reasonable guess, not an unfounded idea.

3. to believe something that is not real, for example thinking you saw or heard som

3.動詞及物B1
釋義

to believe something that is not real, for example thinking you saw or heard something that was not there

例句

Emily imagined she saw a face in the darkness, but it was just a shadow.

contrast clause 'but' reveals the mistaken belief

Adina imagined that everyone in the café was staring, though nobody was paying attention.

同義詞
  • fancy

    more old-fashioned or literary; suggests a whimsical or unfounded idea

  • dream up

    informal; suggests inventing something unlikely or unrealistic

反義詞
  • realize

    to understand what is actually true

  • accept

    to recognize and come to terms with reality

文法句型

imagine + that-clause

imagine + clause without 'that'

用法筆記

What distinguishes this sense from sense 1 is the contrast with reality. The sentence usually contains a 'but', 'though', or 'actually' clause that reveals the imagined thing is not true. The past tense 'imagined' is very common here.

常見錯誤

❌I imagined a monster under my bed.' (could be creative imagining, sense 1)
✅I imagined there was a monster under my bed, but it was just my shoes.
💡Adding the reality check phrase ('but it was just...') makes the meaning clear.

4. used as an exclamation to express shock, surprise, or disapproval at something s

4.動詞不及物B2
釋義

used as an exclamation to express shock, surprise, or disapproval at something someone has done or that has happened

例句

Mr. Tanaka walked out of the restaurant without paying his bill! Imagine!

declarative statement followed by exclamatory 'Imagine!'

Imagine! Chiara flew all the way from Tokyo just for a one-hour meeting.

'Imagine!' placed at the start of the sentence

文法句型

statement + 'Imagine!'

'Imagine!' + statement

用法筆記

Almost always used in spoken English or informal writing such as social media or personal messages. 'Imagine!' stands alone as an exclamation after a surprising statement. It cannot be followed by a complement or object in this use.

5. used in the fixed phrase 'you can imagine' or 'as you can imagine' to make a sta

5.動詞及物B2
釋義

used in the fixed phrase 'you can imagine' or 'as you can imagine' to make a statement stronger by asking the listener to think about it

例句

You can imagine how surprised we were when Ishaan walked through the door.

'you can imagine + how-clause' for emphasis

As you can imagine, the traffic was terrible during the New Year holiday.

'as you can imagine' followed by comma

文法句型

you can imagine + wh-clause

as you can imagine + comma + clause

用法筆記

This is a fixed expression — it always uses 'you can imagine' and cannot be changed to other persons or tenses. 'As you can imagine' is used at the start of a sentence to introduce a predictable situation.