image

noun im·age \ ˈi-mij \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

Definition of image

1 : a reproduction or imitation of the form of a person or thing; especially : an imitation in solid form : statue

2 a : the optical counterpart of an object produced by an optical device (such as a lens or mirror) or an electronic device

b : a visual representation of something: such as

(1) : a likeness of an object produced on a photographic material

(2) : a picture produced on an electronic display (such as a television or computer screen)

3 a : exact likeness : semblance

God created man in his own image
—Genesis 1:27 (Revised Standard Version)

b : a person strikingly like another person

she is the image of her mother

4 a : a tangible or visible representation : incarnation

the image of filial devotion

b archaic : an illusory form : apparition

5 a (1) : a mental picture or impression of something

had a negative body image of herself

(2) : a mental conception held in common by members of a group and symbolic of a basic attitude and orientation

a disorderly courtroom can seriously tarnish a community's image of justice
—Herbert Brownell

b : idea, concept

6 : a vivid or graphic representation or description

7 : figure of speech

8 : a popular conception (as of a person, institution, or nation) projected especially through the mass media

promoting a corporate image of brotherly love and concern
—R. C. Buck

9 : a set of values given by a mathematical function (such as a homomorphism) that corresponds to a particular subset of the domain

See image defined for English-language learners

See image defined for kids

Examples of image in a Sentence

She studied her image in the mirror.
The kids sat staring at the images on the TV screen.
painters capturing images of war
black-and-white images of the city
His poem evokes images of the sea and warm summer days.
He is trying hard to improve his image.
The law suit has negatively affected the company's public image.
a politician who cares more about image than about telling the truth

Recent Examples of image from the Web

San Antonio — For most NBA fans, the enduring image of Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich is the curmudgeon who treats TV sideline reporters with contempt, and sometimes aims withering sarcasm at postgame media.

— scott ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, "Warriors mourn loss of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich’s wife, Erin," 19 Apr. 2018
The image then of Peters stepping through the door of his ship and boldly striding off into space with a glowing hop leaf in his hand and wry smile inside his helmet is actually a hopeful one.

— craig laban, Philly.com, "Major Tom lands great Philly-Brussels beer collaboration," 19 Apr. 2018
The advertising images are iconic — but being a part of Estée Lauder to me means so much more.

— andrea park, Allure, "Karlie Kloss Is Now an Estée Lauder Global Spokesmodel and Brand Ambassador," 19 Apr. 2018
Without being able to consult with Beyonce and Drake (my email address is dmaccash@nola.com; should either care to correspond) the international mega-stars' motives for not including video images of the Crescent City's queen diva are unknowable.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "Why is Big Freedia invisible in Drake and Beyonce videos: report," 18 Apr. 2018
The images have been circulating on social media and the website 4chan.

— jamie ducharme, Fortune, "Fake Starbucks Coupons for People of Color Are Circulating Online," 18 Apr. 2018
But that public image of Garrett isn’t entirely accurate.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "New documentary shows profane side of Cowboys coach Jason Garrett | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 18 Apr. 2018
Other murals in the series are titled with the dates of wars, while the images themselves are often scenes of people embracing.

— liz ohanesian, Los Angeles Magazine, "This South African Street Artist Moved to L.A. to Explore the Politics of Being Human," 17 Apr. 2018
The image in question is of one of the gang members holding ecstasy tablets in his palm.

— Fox News, "Drug dealers nabbed after cops pull fingerprint from WhatsApp image," 16 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of image

Middle English, "effigy, figure, mental impression of something observed, reflection, resemblance," borrowed from Anglo-French, shortened from imagene, borrowed from Latin imāgin-, imāgō "representation, reflection, apparition, semblance, copy, visible form," from imā- (probably the stem of an otherwise unattested verb *imārī with the same base as imitārī "to follow as a pattern, copy") + -gin-, -gō, denominal or deverbal noun suffix — more at imitate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

image Synonyms

Synonyms

abstraction, cogitation, concept, conception, idea, impression, intellection, mind's eye, notion, picture, thought;

Near Antonyms

actuality, fact, reality;

preconception, prejudice, prepossession;

delusion, hallucination, illusion, phantasm (also fantasm);

caprice, conceit, fancy, vagary, whim;

cognition, observation, perception, reflection;

assumption, belief, conclusion, conviction;

conjecture, guess, hunch, hypothesis, speculation, supposition, surmise, theory;

brainchild, brainstorm, brain wave, inspiration;

Other Pictures (on film) Terms

daguerreotype, emulsion, fill, sepia, still, stop

image

verb

Definition of image

imaged; imaging

transitive verb

1 : to call up a mental picture of : imagine

2 : to describe or portray in language especially in a vivid manner

3 a : to create a representation of; also : to form an image of

imaged Jupiter's rings

image the bone using X-rays

b : to represent symbolically

4 a : reflect, mirror

b : to make appear : project

—

imager

play \ˈi-mi-jər\ noun

Examples of image in a Sentence

in the painting Sacagawea is imaged as an intrepid woman pointing the way for Lewis and Clark
the brochure images a vacation at the resort in language that makes you want to make a reservation this instant

Recent Examples of image from the Web

This device maps terrestrial ecosystems using thermal measurements, imaging spectroscopy and a remote sensing technique known as LiDAR.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "‘Staggering’ Damage to Florida’s Everglades Remains in the Wake of Hurricane Irma," 20 Apr. 2018
This allows for the cell to be imaged in a faster, gentler, and more detailed way.

— nick lunn, National Geographic, "First-of-Its-Kind Footage Shows Cells Moving in Live Animals," 19 Apr. 2018
Simple blood and urine tests can help rule out other explanations and may be followed by imaging tests like X-rays, MRIs, or PET scans.

— sarah klein, Health.com, "Abby Lee Miller Was Diagnosed With Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Here's What That Means," 19 Apr. 2018
Certain items will be imaged in 3-D, so people can actually recreate them using a 3-D printer.

— laney ruckstuhl, BostonGlobe.com, "‘This is a whole new body of literature’: Records being digitized could give us new perspective on Colonial life," 12 Apr. 2018
Chinese investors have also bought some firms outright, such as digital imaging company OmniVision, and purchased minority stakes in others, such as social networking business Snap.

— david r. baker, San Francisco Chronicle, "Chinese investment in U.S. plunges, with big implications for California," 9 Apr. 2018
Averaging increases the accuracy while sacrificing imaging speed.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Lidar system images bullet in flight," 30 Mar. 2018
Kendall is also in a legal battle with photographer Al Pereira, who sued Kendall Inc. for using his Tupac and Biggie images in that same T-shirt line.

— mekita rivas, Teen Vogue, "Kendall and Kylie Jenner Settle Lawsuit Over Tupac T-shirt," 5 Apr. 2018
The police released blurry still images from surveillance videos — though not the videos themselves — showing a man with an outstretched arm and something in his hand.

— benjamin mueller and nate schweber, New York Times, "Police Fatally Shoot a Brooklyn Man After Falsely Believing He Had a Gun," 4 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of image

Middle English imagen, in part derivative of image ¹image, in part borrowed from Middle French ymagier "to imagine," derivative of image

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

image Synonyms

Synonyms

delineate, depict, describe, draw, limn, paint, picture, portray, render, set out, sketch;

Near Antonyms

color, distort, falsify, garble, misdescribe, misrepresent, misstate, pervert, twist, warp;

demonstrate, illustrate;

narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report, tell;

display, exhibit, show;

hint, suggest;

draft, outline, silhouette, trace, vignette;

summarize, sum up, touch off;

redescribe, reimage;

IMAGE Defined for English Language Learners

image

noun

Definition of image for English Language Learners

: a picture that is produced by a camera, artist, mirror, etc.
: a mental picture : the thought of how something looks or might look
: the idea that people have about someone or something

IMAGE Defined for Kids

image

noun im·age \ ˈi-mij \

Definition of image for Students

1 : a picture or reflection of something produced by a device (as a mirror or lens)

We watched the images on the screen.

2 : someone who looks very much like another

She is the image of her mother.

3 : the thought of how something looks

An image appeared in his head of his parents hugging each other and crying.
—Louis Sachar, Holes

4 : a representation (as a picture or statue) of something

5 : an idea of what someone or something is like

He has an image as a troublemaker.

Medical Dictionary

image

noun im·age \ ˈim-ij \

medical Definition of image

1 a : the optical counterpart of an object produced by an optical device (as a lens or mirror) or an electronic device — see real image, virtual image

b : a likeness of an object produced on a photographic material

2 : a mental picture or impression of something

had a negative body image of herself

: as

a (1) : a mental conception held in common by members of a group and symbolic of a basic attitude and orientation

the compassionate small-town family doctor, an image that the AMA deeply admires
—Current Biography

(2) : an idealized conception of a person and especially a parent that is formed by an infant or child, is retained in the unconscious, and influences behavior in later life

the overwhelming influence of the mother image
—John Messenger

— called also imago

b : the memory of a perception in psychology that is modified by subsequent experience; also : the representation of the source of a stimulus on a receptor mechanism