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
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
The story follows trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci, who obsesses over masked men on social media, fantasizing about them chasing her down.
—Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 26 Jan. 2026
But what was more interesting to me are those who aren’t fantasizing about being in a fictional world, but who are fantasizing about being a different reader, in a more secure nonfictional world.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 13 Jan. 2026
The irony here is that many in Washington have been openly fantasizing about how advanced AI systems could revolutionize military strategy and reshape geopolitics—to such an extent that this speculation has fueled a kind of arms race with China.
—Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
In the face of that reality—the death, functionally, of the American dream—millennials, Gen Zers and Gen Alphaers have started fantasizing about the abolition of money, of technology, of progress entirely, to the point of dreaming about regressing away from humanity itself.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
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
The story follows trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci, who obsesses over masked men on social media, fantasizing about them chasing her down.
—Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 26 Jan. 2026
But what was more interesting to me are those who aren’t fantasizing about being in a fictional world, but who are fantasizing about being a different reader, in a more secure nonfictional world.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 13 Jan. 2026
The irony here is that many in Washington have been openly fantasizing about how advanced AI systems could revolutionize military strategy and reshape geopolitics—to such an extent that this speculation has fueled a kind of arms race with China.
—Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
In the face of that reality—the death, functionally, of the American dream—millennials, Gen Zers and Gen Alphaers have started fantasizing about the abolition of money, of technology, of progress entirely, to the point of dreaming about regressing away from humanity itself.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fantasizing
Verb
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Young restaurateur David Foulquier took inspiration from his Persian and French roots when imagining this downtown spot.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Apr. 2026
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Saturday Night Live marked the safe return to Earth of NASA‘s Artemis II crew by imagining one astronaut’s attempt at a sober video message that gets disrupted by his very unserious colleagues.—
William Vaillancourt,
Rolling Stone,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But reflection on those few hours of celebration — that wild scramble to enjoy the moment, yet hurry to get everyone ready to go home — left the Dodgers envisioning one of the few things this contemporary dynasty has yet to accomplish.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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McArn advocated for the contract by saying repeatedly that the district needed help helping itself — envisioning a partnership between the consultants and central office staff to better understand the problem and start implementing solutions.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Freyre said he's been dreaming of a liberated Cuba since almost immediately after Castro took over.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Miranda didn’t grow up dreaming of the screen.—
Karla León,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Public school districts in Texas are almost one school year into the first statewide cellphone ban, and a North Texas school district is seeing positive impacts.—
Lacey Beasley,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Why more Sacramento residents are seeking evaluation As public awareness changes, individuals who were formerly written off as chaotic, fragile, strange or unstable are now seeing those outdated stories from a contemporary perspective.—
Malana VanTyler,
Sacbee.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Like many abstract artists before her, Colón, who was born in Canada to a Puerto Rican father and now lives in Los Angeles, is enamored of picturing the world in its most fundamental form, and maybe even evoking something like the universal.—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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Nobody’s picturing the same exact one tiny flower.—
Steve Appleford,
SPIN,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fantasizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fantasizing. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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