MEANING
To give someone or something a quality, feeling, or belief that deeply influences it.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- imbue with confidence
- imbue a scene with meaning
On the page
The recurring sea imagery imbues the novel with a sense of restless possibility.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- imbue
- Past tense
- imbued
- Past participle
- imbued
- Present participle
- imbuing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- imbue
- Present continuous
- am/is/are imbuing
- Present perfect
- have/has imbued
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been imbuing
- Past
- imbued
- Past continuous
- was/were imbuing
- Past perfect
- had imbued
- Past perfect continuous
- had been imbuing
- Future
- will imbue
- Future continuous
- will be imbuing
- Future perfect
- will have imbued
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been imbuing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: imbue; imbues; imbued; imbued; imbuing. Writing functions: interpretation, atmosphere, character. Commonness: moderately common. No intensity assigned to a neutral transfer-of-quality verb.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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