Imply
To indicate or suggest something indirectly, without stating it outright.
verbImply
To indicate or suggest something indirectly, without stating it outright.
verbImagine This
Imagine a detective leaving a subtle clue at a crime scene: the detective says nothing explicit, but the clues imply who the culprit is. Only the careful observer can infer the guilt from the indirect hints.
Sounds Like
IM-PLY (ihm-PLY), with the emphasis on the second syllable
Looks Like
Looks visually similar to 'reply' (both end with -ply) and shares a similar sound.
Remember This
Remember: imply is what the speaker does; infer is what the listener does after hearing implied information.
Other Forms
Connect With
suggest, hint, insinuate, indicate, allude to
Note
Be careful not to confuse imply with infer. Imply means to hint at something; infer means to deduce or conclude from information provided. Use 'implies' with the subject (The report implies...) and 'infer' with the object (We inferred...).