imaging

1 of 2

noun

im·​ag·​ing ˈi-mi-jiŋ 

: the action or process of using specialized techniques (such as ultrasound, tomography, or radiography) to produce an image of something that is not visible to the naked eye (such as internal bodily organs or the Earth's subsurface)

Brain imaging of patients with vascular dementia typically show small strokes or poor blood supply deep in the brain, at the natural terminal … of the blood vessel.

—Renee Meyer

Buried under sand, the layout of a city some 4,000 years old has been revealed before anyone lifted a trowel. To build the map of [the city], … archaeologists used geomagnetic imaging, which measures Earth's magnetic force.

—National Geographic

—often used before another noun

imaging equipment

a thermal imaging camera

A computed tomography scan … is an imaging test that lets doctors see inside a person's body.

—NBCNews.com

see also magnetic resonance imaging

imaging

2 of 2

present participle of image

Examples of imaging in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Scientists could perform brain scans to look at how social media affects the brain’s reward centers, but that would require teenagers to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans—which would also not exactly be a true snapshot of their real-life social media use, Radesky says. —Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 24 Mar. 2026

Robotic assistance produced high-quality imaging that met all diagnostic requirements for conditions such as aneurysms and arterial stenosis. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026

Even industries such as precision sensors and advanced medical imaging could benefit from smaller, more accessible cryogenic systems. —Etiido Uko march 23, New Atlas, 23 Mar. 2026

Best known as the gas that makes party balloons float, helium is also a key input in chipmaking, space rockets and medical imaging. —Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

image entry 2 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1921, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing imaging

• functional magnetic resonance imaging
• magnetic resonance imaging

Rhymes for imaging

• neuroimaging

Medical Definition

imaging

noun

: the action or process of using specialized techniques (such as ultrasound, tomography, or radiography) to produce an image especially of an internal body part or organ

advances in clinical diagnostic imaging

Brain imaging has identified numerous regions of altered structure or activity in the brain during major depression, suggesting disordered neurocircuitry in a variety of structures …

—J. John Mann, The New England Journal of Medicine

—often used before another noun

imaging modalities

The advent of rapid imaging techniques has made magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) an attractive technology in the evaluation of pulmonary vascular disorders.

—Eric G. Honig et al., Scientific American Medical Bulletin

see also magnetic resonance imaging