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• idea
  idea

  noun

  any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.
• Idea
  Idea

  noun

  another name for Form

idea

American  

[ahy-dee-uh, ahy-deeuh] / aɪˈdi ə, aɪˈdiə /

noun

• ideas
  plural

1. any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.

2. a thought, conception, or notion.

   That is an excellent idea.

3. an impression.

   He gave me a general idea of how he plans to run the department.

4. an opinion, view, or belief.

   His ideas on raising children are certainly strange.

   Synonyms:

   judgment, sentiment

5. a plan of action; an intention.

   the idea of becoming an engineer.

6. a groundless supposition; fantasy.

7. Philosophy.

   1. a concept developed by the mind.

   2. a conception of what is desirable or ought to be; ideal.

   3. 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.

   4. Kantianism. idea of pure reason.

8. Music. a theme, phrase, or figure.

9. Obsolete.

   1. a likeness.

   2. a mental image.

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idea ¹ British  

/ aɪˈdɪə /

noun

1. any content of the mind, esp the conscious mind

2. the thought of something

   the very idea appals me

3. a mental representation of something

   she's got a good idea of the layout of the factory

4. the characterization of something in general terms; concept

   the idea of a square circle is self-contradictory

5. an individual's conception of something

   his idea of honesty is not the same as yours and mine

6. the belief that something is the case

   he has the idea that what he's doing is right

7. a scheme, intention, plan, etc

   here's my idea for the sales campaign

8. a vague notion or indication; inkling

   he had no idea of what life would be like in Africa

9. significance or purpose

   the idea of the game is to discover the murderer

10. philosophy

    1. a private mental object, regarded as the immediate object of thought or perception

    2. a Platonic Idea or Form

11. music a thematic phrase or figure; motif

12. obsolete a mental image

13. to become ambitious, restless, etc

14. not what one regards as (hard work, a holiday, etc)

15. that is worth considering

16. that is preposterous, unreasonable, etc

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Idea ² British  

/ aɪˈdɪə /

noun

1. another name for Form

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idea Idioms  

1. see bright idea; put ideas in someone's head; what's the idea.

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Usage

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. 

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preidea
  noun
• subidea
  noun
• idealess
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ideas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of idea

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

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Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

idea Idea ideas

The formerly homeless people I recently met at Chrysalis, all of them working now, and all of them housed, were a testament to this idea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

They also reinforce the idea that Europe's ancient landscapes were generally brighter, more open, and more varied than the dense primeval forests often depicted in popular imagination.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026

For bears, or those with less confidence in Micron’s stock, the idea is that the prospect of a memory downturn is becoming more real, Hendi Susanto, a portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Kapri says he initially tried to make his film with "the real couple", but abandoned the idea after a week of shooting, when it became clear it was not working.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

They were frighteningly shallow – no deeper than his thumb-joint -and he had no idea if they’d hold.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

"The biggest beneficiary of this shift could be Vodafone Idea," says Shah.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

Scentair, a scent-marketing company based in North Carolina, claims customers in 119 countries, including many hotels, and says its creation was “inspired by a Disney Imagineer’s Idea in 1994 to add scents to attractions.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Since then, it has mostly been left to nature, although the Big Idea science centre opened on the peninsula about 26 years ago.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

Also, with anchor customer Vodafone Idea possibly raising funds to expand 4G capacity and roll out 4G and 5G networks, this would add new tenancies to Indus Towers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

Substantial Forms, Occult Qualities, Intentional Species, Idiosyncrasies, Sympathies and Antipathies of Things, are exploded...because they are only empty Sounds, Words whereof no Man can form a certain and determinate Idea.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that both sides were "reviewing the ideas and proposals we have presented" and that it remained hopeful of a deal being agreed.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

By examining their properties and movements, researchers can test ideas about how dark matter behaves and influences the formation of galaxies.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026

You came to Salon for the journalism, the dialogue, the essays, the criticism, the unexpected discoveries and the sense that there was a place on the internet where ideas mattered.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

Take one such example: Hillsdale College in Michigan has been promoting the study of Western civilization and other classical ideas for more than 180 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

“Well, you could come up with some ideas and pitch them to the lead sports teachers,” Dad suggests.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

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Related Words

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• concept
• conception
• conclusion
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• notion
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• sense
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