imbue

verb

im·bue | \ im-ˈbyü

imbued; imbuing

Definition of imbue

transitive verb

1 : endow sense 3 Spanish missions imbue the city with Old World charm— Scott Pendleton

2 : to permeate or influence as if by dyeing the spirit that imbues the new constitution

3 : to tinge or dye deeply

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Imbue Has Old French Roots More Example Sentences Learn More about imbue

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Choose the Right Synonym for imbue

infuse, suffuse, imbue, ingrain, inoculate, leaven mean to introduce one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. infuse implies a pouring in of something that gives new life or significance. new members infused enthusiasm into the club suffuse implies a spreading through of something that gives an unusual color or quality. a room suffused with light imbue implies the introduction of a quality that fills and permeates the whole being. imbue students with intellectual curiosity ingrain, used only in the passive or past participle, suggests the deep implanting of a quality or trait. clung to ingrained habits inoculate implies an imbuing or implanting with a germinal idea and often suggests stealth or subtlety. an electorate inoculated with dangerous ideas leaven implies introducing something that enlivens, tempers, or markedly alters the total quality. a serious play leavened with comic moments

Imbue Has Old French Roots

Like its synonym infuse, imbue implies the introduction of one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. A nation can be imbued with pride, for example, or a photograph might be imbued with a sense of melancholy. In the past imbue has also been used synonymously with imbrue, an obscure word meaning "to drench or stain," but etymologists do not think the two words are related. Imbue derives from the Latin verb imbuere, meaning "to dye, wet, or moisten." Imbrue has been traced back through Anglo-French and Old French to the Latin verb bibere, meaning "to drink."

Examples of imbue in a Sentence

A feeling of optimism imbues her works. her training at the school for the deaf imbued her with a sense of purpose that she had never known before

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s one quality the Soul Squad aims to imbue in the new test subjects for this not-so-modest experiment that could save Team Cockroach (plus all of humanity) from eternal torture via butthole spiders and spastic dentistry. — Dan Snierson, EW.com, "Inside The Good Place's final season: 'This will be worth it'," 16 Sep. 2019 To be imbued with elite physical skills is the common gift of youth. — Tom Verducci, SI.com, "How Justin Verlander Mastered the Twain of Body and Mind in HIs Mid-30s," 1 Sep. 2019 The ultimate game is to imbue in society a collective sense of hopelessness [by] stonewalling the protests. — Washington Post, "With Hong Kong in turmoil, questions grow over leader’s refusal to offer concessions to protesters," 29 Aug. 2019 The team seemed to be imbued with a new sense of urgency and fight. — Pat Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "MLS All-Star break takeaways: Plenty going right for FC Cincinnati," 28 July 2019 Verbal markers such as intonation, prosody, and emphasis are what allow Irony Man to imbue sarcasm into conversation. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "This Eye-Rolling Robot Understands Irony and Will Sass You Hard," 13 June 2019 The tangy nest of sweet onion relish offered a third experiential layer, onions retaining just enough snap to imbue a mid-level texture between the yield of the egg and its crunchy exterior. — Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, "Slainté! Sanfording at The Sullivan is trad and true ... and pretty tasty," 4 June 2019 That means the Parliament should be at the center of any attempt to imbue Brussels’s remote technocracy with democratic legitimacy. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Europe’s Missing Vote," 27 Dec. 2018 Greg Geffrard and Gregory Fenner imbue Moses and Kitch, respectively, with vigor and quick-silver swings in mood. — Barbara Ellis, The Know, "Review: Curious Theatre’s “Pass Over” puts violence against young black men at center stage," 14 Sep. 2019

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