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imply

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.04 sec.
im·ply  (m-pl)
tr.v. im·plied, im·ply·ing, im·plies
1. To involve by logical necessity; entail: Life implies growth and death.
2. To express or indicate indirectly: His tone implied disapproval. See Synonyms at suggest. See Usage Note at infer.
3. Obsolete To entangle.

[Middle English implien, from Old French emplier, to enfold, from Latin implicre; see implicate.]

imply
Verb
[-plies, -plying, -plied]
1. to express or indicate by a hint; suggest
2. to suggest or involve as a necessary consequence: a spending commitment implies a corresponding tax imposition [Old French emplier]
USAGE: See at infer.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.imply - express or state indirectly
evince, express, show - give expression to; "She showed her disappointment"
2.imply - suggest as a logically necessary consequence; in logic
presuppose, suppose - require as a necessary antecedent or precondition; "This step presupposes two prior ones"
intimate, suggest - imply as a possibility; "The evidence suggests a need for more clarification"
connote, predicate - involve as a necessary condition of consequence; as in logic; "solving the problem is predicated on understanding it well"
evince, express, show - give expression to; "She showed her disappointment"
3.imply - have as a logical consequence; "The water shortage means that we have to stop taking long showers"
necessitate - cause to be a concomitant
4.imply - suggest that someone is guilty
paint a picture, suggest, evoke - call to mind; "this remark evoked sadness"
5.imply - have as a necessary feature; "This decision involves many changes"
feature, have - have as a feature; "This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France"
carry - be necessarily associated with or result in or involve; "This crime carries a penalty of five years in prison"

imply
verb 1. suggest, hint, insinuate, indicate, signal, intimate, signify, connote, give (someone) to understand
Translations
Spanish imply [ɪmˈplaɪ] vt (= involve) → implicar, suponer (= hint); insinuar
French imply [ɪmˈplaɪ] vt (= hint) → suggérer, laisser entendre (= mean); indiquer, supposer
German imply [ɪmˈplaɪ] vtandeuten;
(mean) → bedeuten

Italian imply [ɪmˈplaɪ] vtinsinuare; suggerire

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"My good friend," said the Traveller, "according to the terms of your demand my money will save my life, my life my money; you imply you will take one or the other, but not both.
To take an obvious example, the comic mask is ugly and distorted, but does not imply pain.
Primarily and most properly the term has reference to time: in this sense the word is used to indicate that one thing is older or more ancient than another, for the expressions 'older' and 'more ancient' imply greater length of time.
 
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