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imply

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Definition of imply

verb (implies, implying, implied)

[with object]

indicate the truth or existence of (something) by suggestion rather than explicit reference:salesmen who use jargon to imply superior knowledge [with clause]:the report implies that two million jobs might be lost
(of a fact or occurrence) suggest (something) as a logical consequence:the forecasted traffic increase implied more roads and more air pollution

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French emplier, from Latin implicare, from in- 'in' + plicare 'to fold'. The original sense was 'entwine'; in the 16th and 17th cents the word also meant 'employ'. Compare with employ and implicate

Imply and infer do not mean the same thing and should not be used interchangeably: see infer (usage).

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Definition of imply in the US English dictionary

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imply

verb (implies, implying, implied)

Origin:

imply in other Oxford dictionaries

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