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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

"We are all standing together because we are defending the Constitution. We are defending the idea of India. We are defending the vote, which is the expression of all Indians."

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Since the days when artificial intelligence seemed more like fiction than science, one idea has captivated the field’s top researchers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

The idea is to introduce healthy cells that could integrate with existing retinal tissue and potentially replace functions lost to disease.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

“I had the idea for the movie for about 10 years, but didn’t have either the discipline to research it, or I hadn’t gotten around to it,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

“Well, what is your idea of fun, Jillian?”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

He entered Barker’s orbit in 2024 when the director’s comedy team, That’s a Bad Idea, was looking for original music and a mutual friend hit up a producer Burwell collaborated with.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Idea in mind, the group was not created through auditions or strategic casting.

From BBC ● May 16, 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

She is the author of the New York Times bestseller “The Manny,” as well the novels “The Idea of Him,” “It Happens in the Hamptons” and “It’s Hot in the Hamptons.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026

She grabbed the booklet and opened it to Bright Idea #6.

From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies

The King, they said, "contributes ideas and encouragement on a wide range of issues, delivering practical results which help improve the lives of millions".

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

"We discussed with President Erdogan some ideas and proposals that can help. And I thank Mr. President personally for this dialogue," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

The discovery challenges long-standing ideas about how metals behave at extremely low temperatures and could help engineers develop tougher materials for some of the harshest environments imaginable.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

Courtney Iseman breaks down why gimmicky cocktails go wrong—and gives some recipe ideas for making your spooky spirits a smashing success.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026

Both Isaac and Amy were prominent members of the Quaker faith and supported its then-radical ideas about equality in all forms.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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Related Words

• belief
• concept
• conception
• conclusion
• design
• feeling
• form
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• interpretation
• meaning
• notion
• objective
• opinion
• perception
• plan
• scheme
• sense
• solution
• suggestion
• theory

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