ə̇mˈplī transitive verb
( implied ; implied ; implying ; implies )
Etymology: Middle English emplien, implien, from Middle French emplier, from Latin implicare to infold, involve, implicate, engage — more at employ
1. obsolete : enfold , entwine , enwrap
2.
a. : to indicate or call for recognition of as existent, present, or related not by express statement but by logical inference or association or necessary consequence
enrollment in the college implies willingness on the part of the student to comply with the requirements and regulations of the college — Bulletin of Mt. Saint Mary's College
the philosophy of nature which is implied in Chinese art — Lawrence Binyon
democracy implies a number of freedoms
emergency and crisis imply conflict — H.S.Langfeld
b. : to involve as a necessary concomitant (as by general or logical implication, by signification, or by very nature or essence)
two propositions may imply a third
war implies fighting
an acorn implies an oak
3. : to convey or communicate not by direct forthright statement but by allusion or reference likely to lead to natural inference : suggest or hint at
the girl's evasive answer and burning brow seemed to imply that her suitor had changed his mind — Edith Wharton
made me sick to hear him imply that somebody would make a report against him — Joseph Conrad
the tone of the book was implied by shrewd advertisements — J.D.Hart
Synonyms: see include , suggest