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fancying

verb

present participle of fancy
1
as in imagining
to form a mental picture of try to fancy, if you can, our mother on an elephant when she was touring India

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in enjoying
to take pleasure in the teacher didn't fancy the idea of failing the student, even if he was the class clown

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fancying At the lower end of the survey’s spectrum and considerably more balanced sits marijuana regulation, with only 31% of respondents considering the topic to be important for people to understand, and 23% of respondents fancying themselves as highly informed on the matter. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 7 June 2026 And there was a smattering of other items, which the visitor, fancying himself an amateur academic archeologist, thought worth noting. — Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fancying
  1. imagining
  2. enjoying
  3. seeing
  4. liking
  5. envisioning
  6. savoring
  7. dreaming
  8. loving
Verb
  • Many of the new initiatives, from Talisman to Wonders, are centered on re-imagining the charms and personal storytelling Pandora is known for.
    — Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2026
  • This is matched by fantasy sequences imagining Musk as a character in a first-person video game, which many critics here call — and this is a technical term — pretty annoying.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of imagining
Verb
  • Dennis did manage to recall enjoying chef LaQueanya Henry of Sugar Coated Cupcakes’s fig honey-vanilla cheesecake, layered with almond shortbread crumble, Black Mission fig compote, honey mascarpone and pistachio praline crunch.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • These chicken thighs take very well to batch-cooking at the start of the week and enjoying in the ensuing days.
    — Hana Asbrink, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of enjoying
Verb
  • This makes for another scene where actually seeing Hal and John show their work might’ve been helpful.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Jenkins said sextortion is another significant concern that can impact children with law enforcement seeing particularly serious impacts among teen boys.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of seeing
Verb
  • For anyone considering the field, Carpenter emphasizes that success is about more than simply liking babies.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026
  • For now, however, what the numbers actually show is a world adjusting to the new reality of great-power competition, feeling forced to choose one side without the luxury of liking it.
    — Adam Y. Liu, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of liking
Verb
  • The exterior might have many fans envisioning the famous taxi cab pulling up to the house, as depicted in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air‘s opening credits.
    — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The Olmsted Brothers completed plans for it in 1906, envisioning its broad landscaped median as an extension of Baltimore’s park system connecting major green spaces.
    — Lawrence Bell, Baltimore Sun, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of envisioning
Verb
  • Today, John Moffitt is running a growing, successful business, raising a young daughter, savoring the good days when things run smoothly, working through the days when the wireless gives out, or ingredients run out before the customers do.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
  • This leaves plenty of funds to spend on exploring some of the city’s most eclectic neighborhoods, savoring the culinary scene, wandering through world-class museums, and shopping at chic boutiques and galleries.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of savoring
Verb
  • Critical to healthy brain functioning is a dreaming state of unconsciousness called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.
    — Mike McRae September 17, New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2026
  • That’s almost eight months of talking, worrying and dreaming about the Bears.
    — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of dreaming
Verb
  • Summer House viewers know Miller is actually known for loving to spend time in bed — a fact Armstrong was informed of on Wednesday.
    — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Both of them are part of Dem Guns, a nonprofit started in 2025 that aims to provide a space for gun-loving Democrats.
    — Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of loving

Browse Nearby Words

fancy-free
fancying
fancying up
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fancying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fancying. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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