image

1 of 2

noun

im·​age ˈi-mij 

1

a

: a visual representation of something: such as

(1)

: a likeness of an object produced on a photographic material

(2)

: a picture produced on an electronic display (such as a television or computer screen)

b

: the optical counterpart of an object produced by an optical device (such as a lens or mirror) or an electronic device

2

a(1)

: a mental picture or impression of something

had a negative body image of herself

(2)

: a mental conception held in common by members of a group and symbolic of a basic attitude and orientation

a disorderly courtroom can seriously tarnish a community's image of justice

—Herbert Brownell

b

: idea, concept

3

: a popular conception (as of a person, institution, or nation) projected especially through the mass media

promoting a corporate image of brotherly love and concern

—R. C. Buck

4

a

: exact likeness : semblance

God created man in his own image

—Genesis 1:27 (Revised Standard Version)

b

: a person strikingly like another person

she is the image of her mother

5

a

: a tangible or visible representation : incarnation

the image of filial devotion

b

archaic : an illusory form : apparition

6

: a vivid or graphic representation or description

7

: a reproduction or imitation of the form of a person or thing

especially : an imitation in solid form : statue

8

: figure of speech

9

: a set of values given by a mathematical function (such as a homomorphism) that corresponds to a particular subset of the domain

image

2 of 2

verb

imaged; imaging

transitive verb

1

a

: to create a representation of

also : to form an image of

imaged Jupiter's rings

image the bone using X-rays

b

: to represent symbolically

2

: to call up a mental picture of : imagine

3

: to describe or portray in language especially in a vivid manner

4

a

: reflect, mirror

b

: to make appear : project

5

: to make a disk image of

Many computer forensics programs now include the option of imaging a suspect drive.

—Yvonne Jewkes

imager

ˈi-mi-jər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• alter ego
• carbon
• carbon copy
• clone
• counterpart
• doppelgänger
• doppelganger
• double
• duplicate
• duplication
• facsimile
• fetch
• likeness
• look-alike
• match
• mirror image
• picture
• replica
• ringer
• spit
• spitting image
• twin

Verb

• depict
• picture
• portray
• represent

Examples of image in a Sentence

Noun

She studied her image in the mirror.

The kids sat staring at the images on the TV screen.

painters capturing images of war

black-and-white images of the city

His poem evokes images of the sea and warm summer days.

He is trying hard to improve his image.

The law suit has negatively affected the company's public image.

a politician who cares more about image than about telling the truth

Verb

in the painting Sacagawea is imaged as an intrepid woman pointing the way for Lewis and Clark

the brochure images a vacation at the resort in language that makes you want to make a reservation this instant

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

An expanding black circle marks the spread of polar night in the Arctic in this animation of images acquired by the NOAA-20 satellite between Sept. 4 and Nov. 7. —Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024

Governor’s Veto The website for Kingstree depicts idyllic images of small-town life, with white people sitting on a porch swing, kayaking on a river, eating ice cream, and strolling with their dogs. —Kff Health News, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024

Verb

Jupiter’s moon Callisto will be imaged 21 times during close flybys by the European Space Agency's JUICE spacecraft, which launched last year and will reach the Jovian System in 2031. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Early detection through imaging techniques such as ultrasound, MRI, and CT scans can facilitate timely intervention. —Robert Burakoff, Verywell Health, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "effigy, figure, mental impression of something observed, reflection, resemblance," borrowed from Anglo-French, shortened from imagene, borrowed from Latin imāgin-, imāgō "representation, reflection, apparition, semblance, copy, visible form," from imā- (probably the stem of an otherwise unattested verb *imārī with the same base as imitārī "to follow as a pattern, copy") + -gin-, -gō, denominal or deverbal noun suffix — more at imitate

Verb

Middle English imagen, in part derivative of image image entry 1, in part borrowed from Middle French ymagier "to imagine," derivative of image

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing image

• counter-image
• disk image
• father image
• graven image
• image tube
• mirror image
• public image
• real image
• self-image
• spitting image
• the spitting image
• virtual image

Kids Definition

image

1 of 2 noun

im·​age ˈim-ij 

1

: something (as a statue) made to look like a person or thing

2

: a picture of an object formed by a device (as a mirror, lens, or electronic system)

3

: a likeness or picture produced on a photographic material or electronic display screen

4

: a person who looks very much like another

5

a

: a mental picture of something not actually present

b

: a mental picture created by words

c

: a popular idea of what something or someone is that is created especially by advertising and publicity

image

2 of 2 verb

imaged; imaging

1

: to describe in words or pictures

2

: to form an image of

3

: reflect sense 2, mirror

Medical Definition

image

1 of 2 noun

im·​age ˈim-ij 

1

a

: the optical counterpart of an object produced by an optical device (as a lens or mirror) or an electronic device see real image, virtual image

b

: a likeness of an object produced on a photographic material

2

: a mental picture or impression of something

had a negative body image of herself

: as

a(1)

: a mental conception held in common by members of a group and symbolic of a basic attitude and orientation

the compassionate small-town family doctor, an image that the AMA deeply admires

—Current Biography

(2)

: an idealized conception of a person and especially a parent that is formed by an infant or child, is retained in the unconscious, and influences behavior in later life

the overwhelming influence of the mother image

—John Messenger

called also imago

b

: the memory of a perception in psychology that is modified by subsequent experience

also : the representation of the source of a stimulus on a receptor mechanism

image

2 of 2 verb

imaged; imaging

transitive verb

1

: to call up a mental picture of : imagine

2

: to create a representation of

also : to form an image of

the liver was imaged

the animals were anesthetized and imaged with a gamma camera

—R. T. Proffitt et al.

intransitive verb

: to form an image