as in imagining
to form a mental picture of
all those lottery players fantasizing themselves as living in extravagant luxury
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Recent Examples of fantasizing
Kudrow, who starred as the free-spirited Phoebe Buffay, said the writers reprimanded the cast for forgetting lines and spent their off-hours fantasizing about her female co-stars.
—
Jack Dunn, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
That’s not the same as fantasizing about Chinese lifestyles from afar.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Hitler spent most of his time not working or planning or leading but fantasizing about architecture.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Then comes making promises and fantasizing about a future together.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 21 Apr. 2026
After the fundraiser, sweet young couple Austin (Charles Melton) and Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) are making out by the tennis courts, fantasizing about one day having a family, when their boss, Janet (Michole Briana White), asks them to drop off Josh’s wallet at his house.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Hedda’s romantic picture — of Lovborg dying magnificently, with Dionysian vine leaves in his hairs, from a bullet of one of her own guns — smacks of the same literary cliches that has Emma fantasizing about a torchlight wedding at midnight.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
When her daughter was born in December, Ivanova called her Yustyna – the name the couple picked together when fantasizing about having children.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Storylines like this, in our age of escalating eat-the-rich sentiment, allow viewers to vicariously enjoy beautiful homes and high-maintenance bodies while also fantasizing about (or, for more comfortable audiences, safely exploring fears of) class warfare.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Jack Dunn, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
That’s not the same as fantasizing about Chinese lifestyles from afar.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Hitler spent most of his time not working or planning or leading but fantasizing about architecture.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Then comes making promises and fantasizing about a future together.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 21 Apr. 2026
After the fundraiser, sweet young couple Austin (Charles Melton) and Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) are making out by the tennis courts, fantasizing about one day having a family, when their boss, Janet (Michole Briana White), asks them to drop off Josh’s wallet at his house.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Hedda’s romantic picture — of Lovborg dying magnificently, with Dionysian vine leaves in his hairs, from a bullet of one of her own guns — smacks of the same literary cliches that has Emma fantasizing about a torchlight wedding at midnight.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
When her daughter was born in December, Ivanova called her Yustyna – the name the couple picked together when fantasizing about having children.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Storylines like this, in our age of escalating eat-the-rich sentiment, allow viewers to vicariously enjoy beautiful homes and high-maintenance bodies while also fantasizing about (or, for more comfortable audiences, safely exploring fears of) class warfare.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fantasizing
Verb
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In imagining my ideal bachelorette, there was no sash, no tiara, no phallic shot glasses.—
Aemilia Madden,
Vogue,
27 May 2026
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My own research in the Princeton Music Cognition Lab peels back the everyday experience of imagining something while listening to music to identify a striking case of this collision between the individual and the collective.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Verb
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In an environment where people are unsure where to start, change management is the critical foundation for envisioning new operating models and reinventing business processes.—
Peter Fitzgibbon,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Over five decades, hundreds have spoken, envisioning entry into heaven, begging for forgiveness and trying to reckon with their crimes.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Spaeny and Melton were cast as Ashley and Austin, a Gen-Z couple working at a Montecito country club, dreaming and scheming toward upward mobility, a good 18 months before filming began in early 2025.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
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As a little girl in Texas, Terry Chisholm grew up dreaming of horses.—
Nielsen Dinwoodie,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
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After seeing his team squander chance after chance, Etowah’s Matthew Sharman wasn’t going to waste any opportunity to score.—
Stan Awtrey,
AJC.com,
28 May 2026
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Michigan Humane took on a tricky animal rescue task after motorists reported seeing a cat along the Lodge Freeway in Metro Detroit.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
Verb
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When picturing a predator, most people envision an animal with immense speed, sharp teeth or deadly venom.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
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The test case—picturing a cow doing ballet—produces a smug bovine pirouetting.—
Elise Broach,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fantasizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fantasizing. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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