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to fantasize

to fantasize

126 4.5
To imagine things that are not real because you want them
  • verb
  • /ˈfæn.tə.saɪz/
  • US
translation icon : fantasear (con)
  • Many children fantasize about becoming superheroes when they grow up.
  • fantasize about a partner
  • fantasize about owning
  • fantasize about a man

I have been dreaming and fantasizing and in love with Furio.

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Examples

  • And allow yourself time to really fantasize what you want in a true relationship.

  • After that, while I milked, I fantasized about discovering new goals for myself.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Because this is how a woman can start to really fantasize about you little by little.

  • So another sign is that you constantly fantasize about escape.

  • Remember when we used to fantasize about a gay couple moving into that house and fixing it up?

  • When home and friends were missed, poets could only fantasize and seek ways to reach out.

    Academic text (1990)
  • And sometimes, I don't know, I think we all fantasize about different things.

  • That's when I began to fantasize about falling in love with her.

  • - I've always fantasized about moving here.

  • Winthrop returns to Oaxaca, fantasizing about how much money he can make.

    Academic text (2000)

Synonyms

to imagine
vsto fantasize
1.3

To form a picture in your mind of something not real

is more focused on wishful or unlikely scenarios than neutral imagining
to dream
vsto fantasize
932 2.7

To think about pleasant things while you are awake

is focused on wishful imagining of unlikely or unreal things
to dream of
vsto fantasize
385 2.7

To wish for something you want, often something unlikely to happen

is broader, covering imagining not only wished outcomes but unreal scenarios
to envision
vsto fantasize
164 4.1

To picture something in your mind, often a possible future

is more about wanting unreal or unlikely things rather than planning
to fancy
vsto fantasize
52 4.4

To imagine something as possible

is more about indulging in unlikely, wishful imaginings than sober thought
to daydream
vsto fantasize
39 2.3

To imagine pleasant things while you are awake and not paying attention

is more about deliberate wishful imagining than mere distraction
to conceive of
vsto fantasize
33 5.3

To imagine something as possible or real

is more about imagining unlikely wishes rather than treating ideas as possible
to make believe
vsto fantasize
17 3.8

Pretend something is real for fun or play

is more about private wishful imagining rather than playful pretending
to envisage
vsto fantasize
11 6.8

To form a picture in your mind of something not present

is more about fanciful, wishful imagining than imagining mere possibilities
to stargaze
vsto fantasize
  • Informal
1 6.4

To think about pleasant, unlikely things instead of paying attention

is more about imagining unlikely wishes rather than mere distraction
to woolgather
vsto fantasize
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To think about pleasant things instead of paying attention

is more about wishful imagining rather than aimless absent-mindedness
to fantasy
vsto fantasize
6.9

To imagine things that are unlikely or impossible

is the verb expressing indulging in those fanciful imaginings

How Imaginary

to fantasize
  • US
126 4.5
to daydream
39 2.3
to imagine
1.3

Surface Forms

fantasize infinitive
fantasise infinitive
fantasized past
fantasised past
fantasized past participle
fantasised past participle
fantasizing present participle
fantasising present participle
fantasizes third person singular
fantasises third person singular

Morphology

fantasize = fantasy (transparent) = fantasy + ize

The verb is formed by the productive noun-to-verb suffix '-ize' and means 'to form fantasies' — a direct, regular derivation.

Etymology

Fantasize comes from the old Greek root phantas- meaning 'image' or 'appearance', and you can see the same root in phantom. So to fantasize is to make images in your mind of things that are not real or are wishful ideas.