im ‧ ply W2 AC /ɪmˈplaɪ/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle implied , present participle implying , third person singular implies ) [transitive]
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ imply ; noun : ↑ implication ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: emplier , from Latin implicare ; ⇨ ↑ implicate ]
1 . to suggest that something is true, without saying this directly ⇨ infer , implication
imply (that)
Cleo blushed. She had not meant to imply that he was lying.
an implied threat
2 . if a fact, event etc implies something, it shows that it is likely to be true SYN suggest
imply (that)
The high level of radiation in the rocks implies that they are volcanic in origin.
3 . if one thing implies another, it proves that the second thing exists:
Democracy implies a respect for individual liberties.
High profits do not necessarily imply efficiency.