train of thought

Idioms  

1. A succession of connected ideas, a path of reasoning, as in You've interrupted my train of thought; now what was I saying? This idiom, which uses train in the sense of “an orderly sequence,” was first recorded in 1651, in philosopher Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan.

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Example Sentences

I watched them as I waited for our meeting to begin, engaging in a train of thought I’d often followed since my brother died: Who among them is grieving?

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

His wife says he sometimes opens up to the bot more than he does to her, because he’s not worried about losing his train of thought or repeating himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

“On Amazon, it’s literally, you get two bottles, well, it comes in two,” Kory started to explain, before stopping that train of thought.

From Salon • Dec. 15, 2025

There is a train of thought that Scottish football, for all its drama, intrigue and excitement, wasn't always the best quality.

From BBC • Aug. 7, 2025

Dr. Shabani repeats, breaking my train of thought.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi

Related Words

• acumen
• analysis
• argument
• hypothesis
• inference
• interpretation
• premise
• proposition
• rationale
• thinking