any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.
a thought, conception, or notion.
That is an excellent idea.
an impression.
He gave me a general idea of how he plans to run the department.
an opinion, view, or belief.
His ideas on raising children are certainly strange.
a plan of action; an intention.
the idea of becoming an engineer.
a groundless supposition; fantasy.
Philosophy.
a concept developed by the mind.
a conception of what is desirable or ought to be; ideal.
Also called form. (initial capital letter) an archetype or pattern of which the individual objects in any natural class are imperfect copies and from which they derive their being.
Kantianism. idea of pure reason.
Music. a theme, phrase, or figure.
Obsolete.
a likeness.
a mental image.
any content of the mind, esp the conscious mind
the thought of something
the very idea appals me
a mental representation of something
she's got a good idea of the layout of the factory
the characterization of something in general terms; concept
the idea of a square circle is self-contradictory
an individual's conception of something
his idea of honesty is not the same as yours and mine
the belief that something is the case
he has the idea that what he's doing is right
a scheme, intention, plan, etc
here's my idea for the sales campaign
a vague notion or indication; inkling
he had no idea of what life would be like in Africa
significance or purpose
the idea of the game is to discover the murderer
philosophy
a private mental object, regarded as the immediate object of thought or perception
a Platonic Idea or Form
music a thematic phrase or figure; motif
obsolete a mental image
to become ambitious, restless, etc
not what one regards as (hard work, a holiday, etc)
that is worth considering
that is preposterous, unreasonable, etc
What are other ways to say idea? An idea is any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity. How is idea different from thought, conception, and notion? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
First recorded in 1400–50; from Late Latin from Greek idéā “form, pattern,” equivalent to ide- (stem of ideîn “to see”) + -ā feminine noun ending; replacing late Middle English idee from Middle French from Late Latin, as above; akin to wit 1
When you suddenly know what to do and a cartoon light bulb appears above your head, you've probably just had an idea. After burning the roast and dropping the mashed potatoes, ordering pizza seemed like your best idea all night. Idea goes all the way back to idein in Greek, meaning “to see.” When someone says “Picture this!” they want to give you an idea. When you try to imagine something, idea can also mean a rough outline or a general sense: "This drawing I've made doesn't show every detail of my time machine, but it will give you some idea of how it works."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These detractors, he said, "have no idea how hopelessly serious the crisis has become" for Okinawa's coral.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Apparently, my idea of relaxation is watching markets collapse…just with better footnotes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“That leaves providers in this space of providing services and accruing and accumulating debt without any idea of when those contracts are going to be executed and when contracts will be paid,” Maceri said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
There is a popular idea that good cooking is a matter of building flavor, and often it is.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
I knew he liked me, but Ma’s idea that we were going to come to some arrangement in such a short time was too ridiculous.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
All the while, he and creative partner Cooper Tomlinson were trialling content online, mixing comedy sketches on TikTok and Instagram with horror shorts such as "The Chair" on their YouTube channel "That's a Bad Idea".
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
The exhibit is the second curatorial collaboration between Martin and Philbin since 2015, when they partnered on “The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris” at the Hammer Museum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
Idea in mind, the group was not created through auditions or strategic casting.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
Appeared in the January 3, 2026, print edition as 'Ozempic Melted Away Weight—and the Idea of ‘Body Positivity’'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
“These cows are...never you mind. Idea is, this ain’t just any milk. It’s highly contaminated. I wash my hands good after even handling the stuff.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
It borrows ideas from other games, with the cards changing based on the quality of the image or sound recording used to ID the bird - as well as its rarity.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Semantic structure refers to how ideas, words, and concepts are connected within a piece of language.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Instead of handing over the actual text, the AI pulls out key ideas and explains them in simpler language -- something Yang thinks could be huge for students.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
On July 14, the Department of Health and Human Services began soliciting ideas for reforming Medicare’s physician payment system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Porter Collins, a two-time Olympic oars-man who had worked with Eisman at Chilton Investment and never really understood why the guy with the bright ideas wasn’t given more authority, came along too.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
