Synonyms

imply

American

[im-plahy] / ɪmˈplaɪ /

verb (used with object)

implied, implying

to indicate or suggest without being explicitly stated.

His words implied a lack of faith.
(of words) to signify or mean.
to involve as a necessary circumstance.

Speech implies a speaker.

Synonyms:

demand, require
Obsolete. to enfold.

imply British

/ ɪmˈplaɪ /

verb

to express or indicate by a hint; suggest

what are you implying by that remark?
to suggest or involve as a necessary consequence
logic to enable (a conclusion) to be inferred
obsolete to entangle or enfold

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

See infer.

Other Word Forms

reimply verb (used with object)
superimply verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of imply

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English implien, emplien, from Middle French emplier, from Latin implicāre; implicate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The derivatives also imply inflation will fall briskly thereafter, to 2.44% in the following 12 months.

From The Wall Street Journal

The new price targets imply more than 50% upside from current stock prices.

From MarketWatch

No one has implied this was a targeted attack.

From Salon

The percussion pounds like nobody’s business, opening the score up to all the implied emotion and glitter on an over-stuffed stage.

From Los Angeles Times

“The difference is enormous. Disruption implies a temporary squeeze. Duration implies a structural premium embedded into the curve.”

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023