imply

/im-ˈplī/

Middle English implien, emplien "to enfold, surround, entangle, involve by inference, contain implicitly," borrowed from Anglo-French emplier, implier "to involve by inference, entail," probably adaptation of emplier (variant of empleier, emploier "to entangle, put to use, ") as a vernacular equivalent of Medieval Latin implicāre "to imply, mean by implication," modeled on parallel verbs in Middle English, as applien "to applyreplien "to " and their correspondents in Anglo-French

verb

  1. to express indirectly

  2. to involve or indicate by inference, association, or necessary consequence rather than by direct statement

  3. to contain potentially

Her remarks implied a threat.

suggest imply hint intimate insinuate mean to convey an idea indirectly. suggest may stress putting into the mind by association of ideas, awakening of a desire, or initiating a train of thought. imply is close to suggest but may indicate a more definite or logical relation of the unexpressed idea to the expressed.