as in suffuses
to cause (as a person) to become filled or saturated with a certain quality or principle
her training at the school for the deaf imbued her with a sense of purpose that she had never known before
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Recent Examples of imbues
Kikuchi, for her part, imbues the character with dimensions by turns gentle and thorny, but Haru’s unwillingness to meaningfully confront her loss is a blind spot that ends up applied to the story as a whole.
—
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
Farr recorded the album on vintage TASCAM multi-track recorders and did his overdubs on reel-to-reel tape, a finicky process that stretches the tape and imbues the music with the ghosts of previous takes.
—Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 14 Jan. 2026
That can happen when a performer imbues her character with her own nature.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
This technological capability not only protects the lending institution but also imbues a sense of urgency that helps keep things moving.
—Geoff Green, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2025
With references to the dark glamour trend, Brown’s dress imbues Victorian corsetry with contemporary elements.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2025
Among the actors, the highlight turns out to be It breakout Lillis, who imbues Carrie with a vulnerability that smoothes over some sizable gaps in the character’s development.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Dead Poets Society starred Hawke as one of several boarding school students under the tutelage of a sensitive new English teacher, John Keating (Williams), who imbues his pupils with a newfound appreciation for poetry.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
This film imbues all of the psychological horror and weirdness of David Lynch’s original Twin Peaks series with a level of graphic horror that likely wouldn’t have flown on ABC.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
Farr recorded the album on vintage TASCAM multi-track recorders and did his overdubs on reel-to-reel tape, a finicky process that stretches the tape and imbues the music with the ghosts of previous takes.
—Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 14 Jan. 2026
That can happen when a performer imbues her character with her own nature.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
This technological capability not only protects the lending institution but also imbues a sense of urgency that helps keep things moving.
—Geoff Green, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2025
With references to the dark glamour trend, Brown’s dress imbues Victorian corsetry with contemporary elements.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2025
Among the actors, the highlight turns out to be It breakout Lillis, who imbues Carrie with a vulnerability that smoothes over some sizable gaps in the character’s development.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Dead Poets Society starred Hawke as one of several boarding school students under the tutelage of a sensitive new English teacher, John Keating (Williams), who imbues his pupils with a newfound appreciation for poetry.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
This film imbues all of the psychological horror and weirdness of David Lynch’s original Twin Peaks series with a level of graphic horror that likely wouldn’t have flown on ABC.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imbues
Verb
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Patriotism suffuses the Made in America movement.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
29 Nov. 2025
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An international cult favorite, Lee is revered for the philosophical nerve that suffuses his rigorously inventive melodramas, which variously pick apart the complexities of Korean society.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Royce’s Port Charlotte infuses a wee bit of Scotch whisky into velvety fresh cream and chocolate for an Islay experience that leaves a hint of smoke with the silky milk chocolate.—
Angela Hansberger,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The traditional recipe for Oysters Rockefeller as developed at Antoine’s Restaurant in the French Quarter includes a small amount of Herbsaint, which infuses the greens-butter-garlic topping with a touch of anise and herb flavor.—
Taylor Tobin,
Southern Living,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imbues.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imbues. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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