as in imagining
to form a mental picture of
all those lottery players fantasizing themselves as living in extravagant luxury
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Recent Examples of fantasizing
Kudrow, who starred as the free-spirited Phoebe Buffay, said the writers reprimanded the cast for forgetting lines and spent their off-hours fantasizing about her female co-stars.
—
Jack Dunn, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
That’s not the same as fantasizing about Chinese lifestyles from afar.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Hitler spent most of his time not working or planning or leading but fantasizing about architecture.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Then comes making promises and fantasizing about a future together.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 21 Apr. 2026
After the fundraiser, sweet young couple Austin (Charles Melton) and Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) are making out by the tennis courts, fantasizing about one day having a family, when their boss, Janet (Michole Briana White), asks them to drop off Josh’s wallet at his house.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Hedda’s romantic picture — of Lovborg dying magnificently, with Dionysian vine leaves in his hairs, from a bullet of one of her own guns — smacks of the same literary cliches that has Emma fantasizing about a torchlight wedding at midnight.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
When her daughter was born in December, Ivanova called her Yustyna – the name the couple picked together when fantasizing about having children.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Storylines like this, in our age of escalating eat-the-rich sentiment, allow viewers to vicariously enjoy beautiful homes and high-maintenance bodies while also fantasizing about (or, for more comfortable audiences, safely exploring fears of) class warfare.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Jack Dunn, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
That’s not the same as fantasizing about Chinese lifestyles from afar.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Hitler spent most of his time not working or planning or leading but fantasizing about architecture.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Then comes making promises and fantasizing about a future together.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 21 Apr. 2026
After the fundraiser, sweet young couple Austin (Charles Melton) and Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) are making out by the tennis courts, fantasizing about one day having a family, when their boss, Janet (Michole Briana White), asks them to drop off Josh’s wallet at his house.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Hedda’s romantic picture — of Lovborg dying magnificently, with Dionysian vine leaves in his hairs, from a bullet of one of her own guns — smacks of the same literary cliches that has Emma fantasizing about a torchlight wedding at midnight.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
When her daughter was born in December, Ivanova called her Yustyna – the name the couple picked together when fantasizing about having children.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Storylines like this, in our age of escalating eat-the-rich sentiment, allow viewers to vicariously enjoy beautiful homes and high-maintenance bodies while also fantasizing about (or, for more comfortable audiences, safely exploring fears of) class warfare.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fantasizing
Verb
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But dismantling polluting industries, trying to clean up our air and our water, and imagining a health care system not driven by profit would take coordinated, radical restructuring.—
Hannah Kerman,
STAT,
29 Apr. 2026
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And looking at things from different angles and imagining different outcomes is a social worker skill that helps me as a fiction writer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 1866, Howells had been able to recognize the connection between ending slavery, envisioning equality, and the broadest expression of the American idea.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
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But reflection on those few hours of celebration — that wild scramble to enjoy the moment, yet hurry to get everyone ready to go home — left the Dodgers envisioning one of the few things this contemporary dynasty has yet to accomplish.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Just five years ago, Bryson Battle was a suburban Charlotte high school senior dreaming about a career in the theater.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Apr. 2026
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Messick, who grew up dreaming of wearing a Rays uniform, continues to be a nightmare for his hometown team.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The one big missing piece was seeing her team finally capture an elusive state championship.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
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Mario Tama / Getty Images file In a report whose data was largely compiled before the recent run-up, Bank of America analysts found that so far, only lower-income households were seeing a significant impact on their budgets from higher gas prices.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The test case—picturing a cow doing ballet—produces a smug bovine pirouetting.—
Elise Broach,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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Like many abstract artists before her, Colón, who was born in Canada to a Puerto Rican father and now lives in Los Angeles, is enamored of picturing the world in its most fundamental form, and maybe even evoking something like the universal.—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fantasizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fantasizing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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