Meaning & use
imply
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To suggest something without saying it directly, leaving the listener to understand it.
Grammar: Takes an object or clause: she implied that he was late.
Patterns
- imply that something
- imply something to someone
Are you implying that I made a mistake?
His silence implied that he disagreed.
The ad implies the product is healthy.
verbtransitiveformal
To involve something as a necessary result or condition.
Grammar: The subject is a fact or idea: success implies hard work.
Patterns
- something implies something
Leadership implies responsibility.
A lower price does not always imply lower quality.
Owning a dog implies daily walks.
Word forms
| third person singular | implies |
|---|---|
| past tense | implied |
| past participle | implied |
| -ing form | implying |
Common combinations
- imply that
- The letter implied that more changes were coming.
- strongly imply
- The report strongly implies the firm was careless.
- seem to imply
- Her tone seemed to imply a warning.
- not necessarily imply
- Age does not necessarily imply wisdom.
- imply a threat
- His words implied a threat.
Synonyms and how they differ
- suggest
- Suggest is milder and can also mean propose, while imply strictly means hinting without stating.
- hint
- Hint implies a deliberate subtle clue, while imply can happen by accident.
- insinuate
- Insinuate is negative and means to imply something unpleasant sneakily.
- indicate
- Indicate points to a fact based on evidence, while imply leaves it to be inferred.
Opposites
Word family
- implication noun
- something suggested but not stated
- implicit adjective
- suggested but not stated directly
- implied adjective
- suggested rather than said
- implicitly adverb
- in a way that is understood but not said
Commonly confused: imply or infer? imply or apply?
imply vs infer
A speaker implies; a listener infers. Imply is to hint, infer is to draw a conclusion from hints.
imply vs apply
Apply means to put to use or request formally; it is a different word despite a similar sound.
Practice
When she said, 'Some people can't cook,' she ____ that my dinner was bad.
Choose one answer.
The speaker hints without saying it, so she implied it. The listener would be the one who infers.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “imply”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.