hallucinate

verb hal·lu·ci·nate \ hə-ˈlü-sə-ˌnāt \

Updated on: 4 Apr 2018

Definition of hallucinate

hallucinated; hallucinating

transitive verb

1 : to affect with visions or imaginary perceptions

2 : to perceive or experience as a hallucination

intransitive verb

: to have hallucinations

—

hallucinator

play \hə-ˈlü-sə-ˌnā-tər\ noun

See hallucinate defined for English-language learners

See hallucinate defined for kids

Examples of hallucinate in a Sentence

The patient may hallucinate if she has a fever.

Recent Examples of hallucinate from the Web

Opposite him, New Yorker Tamara Scott does hallucinating Harper Pitt as sometimes almost invisible and lighter-than-air and at others burdened with all the weight of the world on her back.

— tony brown, charlotteobserver, "1996: 'Angels' is heavenly: Kudos to Charlotte Rep for tackling the work | Charlotte Observer," 30 Mar. 2018
Earlier this month, 20-year-old Kaylee Muthart reportedly dug out her eyes with her hands while hallucinating under the influence of methamphetamine.

— shannon barbour, Cosmopolitan, "Mom of the 20-Year-Old Who Dug Her Eyes Out While on Drugs Speaks Out," 26 Feb. 2018
Rick was hallucinating and Simon's words meant nothing.

— troy l. smith, cleveland.com, "'The Walking Dead' teases a helicopter again. What does it mean?," 5 Mar. 2018
Facebook users in swing states who felt Trump had taken over their news feeds may not have been hallucinating.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "Why Donald Trump Was the 'Perfect Candidate' for Facebook," 26 Feb. 2018
Maria, who's seeking a more spiritual side to her life, starts hallucinating that she's being visited by God (Richard Collins-Moore, a U.K. actor based in Spain).

— jonathan holland, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Call' ('La Llamada'): Film Review," 30 Jan. 2018
After a five-day methamphetamine binge, William Porubsky was hallucinating, screaming and bleeding out of both ears.

— Washington Post, "Friends, family of man killed by cop: Why wasn’t he helped?," 17 Sep. 2017
At the start of the second hour, Nick hallucinates a vision of Troy.

— josh wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Fear the Walking Dead' Boss on That 'Breaking Bad' Homage and Saying Goodbye," 10 Sep. 2017
A month later, her mother, Narelle, was calling her by the wrong name, hallucinating and falling over.

— michael nedelman, CNN, "A 'family curse': First insomnia, then death," 19 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hallucinate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of hallucinate

Latin hallucinatus, past participle of hallucinari, allucinari to prate, dream, modification of Greek alyein to be distressed, to wander

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1834

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HALLUCINATE Defined for English Language Learners

hallucinate

verb

Definition of hallucinate for English Language Learners

: to see or sense something or someone that is not really there : to have hallucinations

Medical Dictionary

hallucinate

verb hal·lu·ci·nate \ hə-ˈlüs-ᵊn-ˌāt \

medical Definition of hallucinate

hallucinated; hallucinating

transitive verb

1 : to affect with visions or imaginary perceptions

the patient is not hallucinated

2 : to perceive or experience as a hallucination

may hallucinate monsters or attackers
—M. J. Horowitz

intransitive verb

: to have hallucinations

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hallucinate

Definition of hallucinate

hallucinator

Examples of hallucinate in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of hallucinate

HALLUCINATE Defined for English Language Learners

hallucinate

Definition of hallucinate for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

hallucinate

medical Definition of hallucinate

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hallucinate

Definition of hallucinate

hallucinator

Examples of hallucinate in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of hallucinate

HALLUCINATE Defined for English Language Learners

hallucinate

Definition of hallucinate for English Language Learners

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hallucinate

medical Definition of hallucinate

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