imbue

IPA/ɪmˈbjuː/
KK[ˌɪmbjˈu]IPA/ɪmˈbjuː/

imbue — verb

  • imbuepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • imbueshe / she / it
  • imbuedpast simple
  • imbuing-ing form

1. to cause a person, place, or piece of work to be strongly shaped by a particular

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to cause a person, place, or piece of work to be strongly shaped by a particular feeling, belief, or value

例句

The school hopes to imbue its students with respect for public service.

pattern: imbue + noun + with + value

Years in the village imbued Mateo's paintings with warmth and patience.

同義詞
  • infuse

    close in meaning, but slightly broader and less tied to values or beliefs

  • instill

    often used for deliberately teaching a feeling, value, or habit to someone

  • fill

    more general and less formal; it does not always suggest deep influence

反義詞
  • drain

    suggests taking a feeling or force away rather than putting it in

文法句型

imbue + noun + with + feeling/value

be imbued with + quality

用法筆記

Usually takes a person, place, or work as the object, followed by with and the feeling or value that is being placed into it. Distinguish this sense from sense 2, where the quality itself spreads through something.

常見錯誤

❌The speech imbued hope to the crowd.
✅The speech imbued the crowd with hope.
💡This verb normally uses imbue + person/thing + with + quality.

2. to spread through a place, event, or piece of writing so fully that it quietly a

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to spread through a place, event, or piece of writing so fully that it quietly affects the whole thing

例句

A sense of loss imbued the memorial service from start to finish.

abstract subject + imbue + event

Quiet humour imbues the novel even in its saddest chapters.

同義詞
  • permeate

    the closest choice when something spreads through every part of a place or work

  • suffuse

    more literary and often used for light, colour, or emotion

  • run through

    more informal and often used for themes or feelings in a story

文法句型

quality + imbue + place/work

be imbued with + atmosphere

用法筆記

The subject is often an atmosphere, quality, or feeling rather than a person acting on purpose. In passive sentences, the thing affected is described as being imbued with that quality.

常見錯誤

❌Hope imbued in the camp.
✅Hope imbued the camp.' / 'The camp was imbued with hope.
💡Use a direct object or the passive with with.

3. to give something a rich colour by letting the colour sink strongly into it

3.動詞及物C1
釋義

to give something a rich colour by letting the colour sink strongly into it

例句

The dyer imbued the wool with a deep red before sunrise.

pattern: imbue + material + with + colour

Minerals in the water imbued the cave walls with blue-green colour.

同義詞
  • dye

    the everyday word for giving cloth or another material a new colour

  • tint

    often lighter and less deep than imbue

  • stain

    often suggests an unwanted or uneven colour

反義詞
  • bleach

    suggests removing colour or making it much lighter

文法句型

imbue + material/object + with + colour

be imbued with + colour

用法筆記

Used for a material or surface that takes colour into itself, not for simply painting a thin layer on top. The object is the thing that receives the colour.

常見錯誤

❌The artist imbued blue into the cloth.
✅The artist imbued the cloth with blue.
💡This sense treats the material as the object and the colour after with.