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Imply Common

Imply has 6 different meanings across 1 category:

Verb

Definitions
Verb
1

express or state indirectly

"His silence implied that he did not agree with the plan."

2

suggest as a logically necessary consequence; in logic

"If all humans are mortal and Socrates is human, then it necessarily implies that Socrates is mortal."

3

have as a logical consequence

"The water shortage means that we have to stop taking long showers"

4

suggest that someone is guilty

"The judge's stern glare implied that he was already convinced of the defendant's guilt before the trial even began."

5

have as a necessary feature

"This decision involves many changes"

6

to have as a necessary consequence

"The high temperature implies that the roads will be too slippery for safe driving."

In plain English: To imply something is to suggest it without saying it directly out loud.

"The coach did not say anything harsh, but his tone implied that we had lost our confidence."

Example Sentences
"The coach did not say anything harsh, but his tone implied that we had lost our confidence." verb
"His silence implied that he did not agree with the plan." verb
"The dark clouds imply heavy rain is coming soon." verb
"She refused to answer questions that might imply guilt." verb
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
express necessitate suggest have
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
presuppose suggest connote carry

Origin

The word "imply" comes from the Latin verb implicare, which meant "to infold" or "involve." It entered English via Old French, combining the prefix in- meaning "in" with plicare meaning "to fold."

Rhyming Words
ply haply yeply duply apply amply reply nipply comply steply shiply triply helply damply dimply jimply limply pimply simply ripply
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