verb

imply

ihm-PLEYE

verb

To suggest something indirectly without stating it outright.

"Her tone implied that she wasn't convinced."

"Are you implying that I made a mistake?"

To lead logically to a conclusion; to have as a necessary consequence.

"A rise in demand implies a rise in price, all else being equal."

How to Use Imply

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo hint at something without saying it directly, or for one thing to logically lead to another.

Common mistake

Imply and infer are opposites: a speaker implies something; a listener infers it. Don't use "infer" when you mean "imply."

Easily confused with

infer →

Common pairings

imply that strongly imply

Word Forms

implied past tense, imply plural, implied plural, IMPLYs plural, implies singular, imply singular, impliest singular, implied singular, impliedst singular, implieth singular

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Are you _____ that I made a mistake?

Etymology

From Old French emplier, from Latin implicare ("to infold, involve"). A doublet of employ and implicate.

Antonyms

NIMPLY

Rhymes for imply

simply

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