thought

¹

[thawt]

noun

1. the product of mental activity; that which one thinks.

   a body of thought.

2. a single act or product of thinking; idea or notion.

   to collect one's thoughts.

3. the act or process of thinking; mental activity.

   Thought as well as action wearies us.

   Synonyms: cogitation, reflection, deliberation, rumination, meditation

4. the capacity or faculty of thinking, reasoning, imagining, etc..

   All her thought went into her work.

5. a consideration or reflection.

   Thought of death terrified her.

6. meditation, contemplation, or recollection.

   deep in thought.

7. intention, design, or purpose, especially a half-formed or imperfect intention.

   We had some thought of going.

8. anticipation or expectation.

   I had no thought of seeing you here.

9. consideration, attention, care, or regard.

   She took no thought of her appearance.

10. a judgment, opinion, or belief.

    According to his thought, all violence is evil.

11. the intellectual activity or the ideas, opinions, etc., characteristic of a particular place, class, or time.

    Greek thought.

12. a very small amount; a touch; bit; trifle.

    The steak is a thought underdone.

thought

²

[thawt]

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of think.

thought

/ θɔːt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of think

noun

1. the act or process of thinking; deliberation, meditation, or reflection

2. a concept, opinion, or idea

3. philosophical or intellectual ideas typical of a particular time or place

   German thought in the 19th century

4. application of mental attention; consideration

   he gave the matter some thought

5. purpose or intention

   I have no thought of giving up

6. expectation

   no thought of reward

7. a small amount; trifle

   you could be a thought more enthusiastic

8. kindness or regard

   he has no thought for his widowed mother

Word History and Origins

Origin of thought¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English thoght, Old English (ge)thōht; cognate with Dutch gedachte; akin to thank, think ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of thought¹

Old English thōht; related to Old Frisian thochta, Old Saxon, Old High German githācht

Idioms and Phrases

see food for thought; lost in thought; on second thought; penny for your thoughts; perish the thought; train of thought. Also see under think.

Example Sentences

On this All Souls’ Day, my thoughts are with the family and friends of Carlos Manzo, mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico, who was assassinated at a public Day of the Dead celebration last night.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Jaffa thought the principles of the Declaration provided for the decisive defeat of slavery and legal racism in America.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

What were your first thoughts when Ellie started initiating these conversations?

Read more on Salon

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected."

Read more on BBC

It is spreading wider and faster than we thought, and it has even found an apologist in Kevin Roberts, president of the venerable Heritage Foundation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• anxiety 
• assessment 
• belief 
• concern 
• conclusion 
• dream 
• expectation 
• feeling 
• hope 
• image 
• intention 
• judgment 
• knowledge 
• notion 
• opinion 
• plan 
• prospect 
• theory 
• thinking 
• understanding 

When To Use

Spelling tips for thought

The word thought is hard to spell because it sounds as if it should be spelled [ thawt ]. The combination of letters -ought can be pronounced many different ways (nine to be exact!). How to spell thought: Thinking is hard work. It might make you go "oh! ugh!" (-ough). Add a t to the end and you get thought.