imaging

1 of 2

noun

im·​ag·​ing ˈi-mi-jiŋ How to pronounce imaging (audio)
: the action or process of using specialized techniques (such as ultrasound, tomography, or radiography) to produce an image of something that is not visible to the naked eye (such as internal bodily organs or the Earth's subsurface)
Brain imaging of patients with vascular dementia typically show small strokes or poor blood supply deep in the brain, at the natural terminal … of the blood vessel.Renee Meyer
Buried under sand, the layout of a city some 4,000 years old has been revealed before anyone lifted a trowel. To build the map of [the city], … archaeologists used geomagnetic imaging, which measures Earth's magnetic force.National Geographic
often used before another noun
imaging equipment
a thermal imaging camera
A computed tomography scan … is an imaging test that lets doctors see inside a person's body.NBCNews.com
see also magnetic resonance imaging

imaging

2 of 2

present participle of image

Examples of imaging in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
More than 1 million patients have been affected by a data breach involving SimonMed Imaging, one of the country's largest outpatient radiology and medical imaging providers. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025 The scientists from the University of Chicago used a number of imaging techniques to reconstruct the fleshy appearance of the animal in life, from a tall crest over the neck and trunk to a spike row over its tail and hooves sheathing its toes. Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025 The golden retriever named Duncan joined his owner for a day at work at Animal Imaging, an outpatient diagnostic imaging facility in Texas that offers services for dogs, cats, horses and some exotic animals. Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025 However, with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a more advanced form of the condition, inflammation is visible on X-ray imaging, and over time the spine’s vertebrae may begin to fuse. Cheyenne Buckingham, SELF, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for imaging

Word History

Etymology

Noun

image entry 2 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of imaging was in 1921

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Imaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imaging. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Medical Definition

imaging

noun
: the action or process of using specialized techniques (such as ultrasound, tomography, or radiography) to produce an image especially of an internal body part or organ
advances in clinical diagnostic imaging
Brain imaging has identified numerous regions of altered structure or activity in the brain during major depression, suggesting disordered neurocircuitry in a variety of structures …J. John Mann, The New England Journal of Medicine
often used before another noun
imaging modalities
The advent of rapid imaging techniques has made magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) an attractive technology in the evaluation of pulmonary vascular disorders.Eric G. Honig et al., Scientific American Medical Bulletin
see also magnetic resonance imaging

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