hallucinate

verb

hal·​lu·​ci·​nate hə-ˈlü-sə-ˌnāt 

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

hə-ˈlü-sə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

Examples of hallucinate in a Sentence

The patient may hallucinate if she has a fever.

Recent Examples on the Web

Supply chain and other company leaders need to consider data privacy concerns, the potential for AI solutions to hallucinate and the possibility that their teams will misapply AI. —Christian Hyatt, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

Both chatbots can sometimes hallucinate and make up quotes. —PC Magazine, 19 June 2025

That proprietary content makes gen AI more distinctive, more knowledgeable about your products and services, less likely to hallucinate, and more likely to bring economic value. —Harvard Business Review, 28 May 2025

Google also recently added artificial intelligence features to Google Maps, which could have hallucinated the false traffic jams. —Ashley Belanger – May 30, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

circa 1834, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

hallucinate

verb

hal·​lu·​ci·​nate hə-ˈlüs-ə-ˌnāt 

hallucinated; hallucinating

: to have hallucinations or experience as a hallucination

Medical Definition

hallucinate

verb

hal·​lu·​ci·​nate hə-ˈlüs-ᵊn-ˌāt 

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