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

From the beginning, Breed imbued nearly every corner of her campaign with the inspiring story of her upbringing. — Dominic Fracassa, SFChronicle.com, "SF mayor’s race: Ranked choice puts Mark Leno in lead over London Breed," 6 June 2018 From the beginning, Breed imbued nearly every corner of her campaign with the inspiring story of her upbringing. — Dominic Fracassa, San Francisco Chronicle, "Breed takes lead over Leno, Kim in earliest returns for SF mayor’s race," 5 June 2018 His avatar is a simple color-field of his take on Valentino red, a shade imbued with a touch more coral than Mr. Garavani’s original bloodred hue. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli Joined Instagram Just in Time for the Met Gala," 8 May 2018 Stalemated truce talks and prisoner-of-war exchanges about 60 miles away at Panmunjom imbued the otherwise militarily worthless hill with immense political and propaganda value. — Adam Bernstein, Washington Post, "Joseph Clemons Jr., hero of Pork Chop Hill, dies at 90," 22 May 2018 Gluck has imbued his film with plenty of winky in-jokes that parents will get, and physical humor kids of all ages will love. — Laura Demarco, cleveland.com, "'Peter Rabbit': Update of Beatrix Potter's classic is hilarious, whimsical," 8 Feb. 2018 The hope wasn’t to imbue these things with judgment, but just to say that social media is a very powerful thing. — Daniel Arkin /, NBC News, "'Eighth Grade' goes inside the mind of an iPhone-addled teen girl," 14 July 2018 Her designs, sold as singles or pairs, are imbued with personal meaning and tied to far-off locales from her travels. — Monica Kim, Vogue, "SVNR’s Colorful Keepsake Earrings Turn Forgotten Objects Into Chic Mementos," 13 July 2018 The meat, the fish, the rice, and the pasta were all imbued with something special, perhaps a sense of skill or perhaps the balance of elements. — Stephanie Schorow, BostonGlobe.com, "Spice up your palate with Haitian delights," 8 June 2018

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.