image

noun

im·age | \ ˈi-mij

Definition of image

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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)

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

2a(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

3 : 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

4a : 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

5a : a tangible or visible representation : incarnation the image of filial devotion

b archaic : an illusory form : apparition

6 : a vivid or graphic representation or description

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

8 : figure of speech

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

image

verb

imaged; imaging

Definition of image (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

2 : to call up a mental picture of : imagine

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

4a : reflect, mirror

b : to make appear : project

5 : to make a disk image of Many computer forensics programs now include the option of imaging a suspect drive.— Yvonne Jewkes

Other Words from image Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about image

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Examples of image in a Sentence

Noun

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

Verb

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 on the Web: Noun

The art is a combination of portraiture and archival images from places like The New York Times and the Associated Press. — Charles Curkin, ELLE Decor, "When in Doubt, Decorate Your Room with Puppies, Puppies ... and More Puppies," 21 May 2019 Erin shared a new image to both Twitter and Instagram, which marks her first posts since Hallmark announced their decision to cut ties with her co-star. — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "'When Calls the Heart' Star Erin Krakow Speaks Out Amid the Lori Loughlin Drama," 9 Apr. 2019 Listing image by John Timmer Flatten and blast With the glass and metals gone and paper in a separate stream, what you're left with is plastic. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Bikes, bowling balls, and the delicate balancing act that is modern recycling," 31 Dec. 2018 The accompanying campaign image showcases the 38-year-old star standing in front of a wall of white flowers with her hair slicked back and her skin glowing to the gods. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Kim Kardashian’s New KKW Beauty Mrs. West Collection Was Inspired by Her Wedding Day Makeup," 14 May 2019 When the image was released on the brand's Instagram, people had a lot of feelings. — Maya Allen, Marie Claire, "Gucci Beauty Returns With 58 New Lipsticks You'll be Obsessed With," 10 May 2019 Click the image below to increase its size and take a stroll down memory lane. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "AMD celebrates its 50th anniversary with blinged-out Ryzen 7 2700X and Radeon VII Gold Editions," 29 Apr. 2019 The images are supplemented by a 360-degree video function that helps buyers better envision each piece in a space. — Vanessa Lawrence, ELLE Decor, "See Inside Ben Soleimani’s Fast-Paced, Stylish Worlds in California and London," 17 Apr. 2019 Hawaiian name, not its official name, explained Jessica Dempsey, who helped capture the black hole image as deputy director of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii’s tallest mountain. — Seth Borenstein, The Seattle Times, "Picture was clear, but black hole’s name a little fuzzy," 15 Apr. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

After characterizing performance, the researchers imaged a number of tissue samples, including human lung tissue (ex vivo, in this study). — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Metamaterial-equipped endoscope reveals your innermost secrets," 4 Aug. 2018 But even with multiple telescopes pointing at Sagittarius A* for the better part of two years, imaging a black hole is not easy. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "We Might Be About to See the First Ever Photo of a Black Hole," 1 Apr. 2019 In the campaign images the models are still wearing minimal skin makeup, and the products all seem fairly intuitive to use (glitter doesn't require the same amount of skill level as contouring), so the OG brand's DNA is still there. — Glamour, "I Wore Glossier Play for a Night Out—Here’s How It Held Up," 28 Mar. 2019 In 2015, imaging tests revealed the presence of amyloid plaques, the sticky proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease that collect around brain cells and interfere with relaying messages. — Linda Marsa, Discover Magazine, "A New Treatment for Alzheimer's? It Starts With Lifestyle," 16 Nov. 2018 To me, overall imaging performance feels very similar to the X-T2. — Chris Welch, The Verge, "Fujifilm X-T3 review: the do-everything camera," 24 Oct. 2018 Their combined method has allowed them to image the fly brain in multiple colors in 62.5 hours, or roughly 2 and half days. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Mapped Entire Brains at Nanoscale For This Psychadelic Visualization," 18 Jan. 2019 Lawyers for Elsharkawi believe that his phone was imaged. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Man sues feds after being detained for refusing to unlock his phone at airport," 18 Dec. 2018 Well, the brain tissue expansion process embeds tissue into a hydrogel and then expands it, which allows for high resolution imaging with a regular microscope. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Honey, I Shrunk Everything: MIT Scientists Can Shrink Objects to the Nanoscale," 18 Dec. 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.

History and Etymology for image

Noun

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

Verb

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

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Dictionary Entries near image

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Last Updated

3 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for image

The first known use of image was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for image

image

noun

English Language Learners Definition of image

: 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

See the full definition for image in the English Language Learners Dictionary

image

noun

im·age | \ ˈi-mij

Kids Definition of image

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.

image

noun

im·age | \ ˈim-ij

Medical Definition of image

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

image

verb

imaged; imaging

Medical Definition of image (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to call up a mental picture of : imagine

2 : to create a representation of also : to form an image of the liver was imaged the animals were anesthetized and imaged with a gamma camera — R. T. Proffitt et al

intransitive verb

: to form an image