mind
Americannoun
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minds
plural
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(in a human or other conscious being) the element, part, substance, or process that reasons, thinks, feels, wills, perceives, judges, etc..
the processes of the human mind.
- Synonyms:
- reason
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Psychology. the totality of conscious and unconscious mental processes and activities.
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intellect or understanding, as distinguished from the faculties of feeling and willing; intelligence.
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a particular instance of the intellect or intelligence, as in a person.
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a person considered with reference to intellectual power.
the greatest minds of the twentieth century.
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intellectual power or ability.
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reason, sanity, or sound mental condition.
to lose one's mind.
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a way of thinking and feeling; disposition; temper.
a liberal mind.
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a state of awareness or remembrance.
The poem puts me in mind of experiences both new and forgotten.
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opinion, view, or sentiments.
to change one's mind.
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inclination or desire.
to be of a mind to listen.
- Synonyms:
- intent
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purpose, intention, or will.
Let me know your mind in this matter before Tuesday.
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psychic or spiritual being, as opposed to matter.
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a conscious or intelligent agency or being.
an awareness of a mind ordering the universe.
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remembrance or recollection; memory.
Former days were called to mind.
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He can't keep his mind on his studies.
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Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. notice; attention.
When he's like that, just pay him no mind.
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Roman Catholic Church. a commemoration of a person's death, especially by a Requiem Mass.
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Also called Divine Mind. (initial capital letter) God; the incorporeal source of life, substance, and intelligence.
verb (used with object)
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minds,
present (3rd person singular)
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minded,
past participle, past
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minding
present participle
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to pay attention to.
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to heed or obey (a person, advice, instructions, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- mark
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to apply oneself or attend to.
to mind one's own business.
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to look after; take care of; tend.
to mind the baby.
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to be careful, cautious, or wary about.
Mind what you say.
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to feel concern at; care about.
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to feel disturbed or inconvenienced by; object to (usually used in negative or interrogative constructions).
Would you mind handing me that book?
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to regard as concerning oneself or as mattering.
Don't mind his bluntness.
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Dialect.
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to perceive or notice.
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to remember.
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to remind.
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verb (used without object)
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minds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
minded,
past participle, past
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minding
present participle
-
to pay attention.
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to obey.
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to take notice, observe, or understand (used chiefly in the imperative).
Mind now, I want you home by twelve.
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to be careful or wary.
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to care, feel concern, or object (often used in negative or interrogative constructions).
Mind if I go? Don't mind if I do.
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to regard a thing as concerning oneself or as mattering.
You mustn't mind about their gossiping.
idioms
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out of one's mind,
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mad; insane.
You must be out of your mind to say such a ridiculous thing.
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totally distracted.
He's out of his mind with worry.
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emotionally overwhelmed.
out of her mind with joy.
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presence of mind, ability to think and to remain in control of oneself during a crisis or under stress.
She had enough presence of mind to remember the license plate of the speeding car.
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make up one's mind, to decide; form an opinion or decision; resolve.
He couldn't make up his mind which course to follow.
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give someone a piece of one's mind, to rebuke, reprimand, or scold sharply.
I'll give him a piece of my mind for telling such a lie!
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have a good mind to, to feel tempted or inclined to.
I have a good mind to leave you here all alone.
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bear / keep in mind, to remember.
Bear in mind that the newspaper account may be in error.
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know one's own mind, to be firm in one's intentions, opinions, or plans; have assurance.
She may be only a child, but she knows her own mind.
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cross one's mind, to occur suddenly to one.
A disturbing thought crossed her mind.
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meeting of minds, complete agreement; accord.
A meeting of minds between the union and the employer seemed impossible.
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frame of mind. see frame of mind.
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never mind, don't worry or be troubled; it is of no concern.
Never mind—the broken glass will be easy to replace.
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blow one's mind,
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to change one's perceptions, awareness, etc., as through the use of drugs or narcotics.
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to overwhelm a person with intense excitement, pleasure, astonishment, or dismay.
Cool jazz really blows my mind.
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have half a mind to, to be almost decided to; be inclined to.
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on one's mind, constantly in one's thoughts; of concern to one.
The approaching trial was on his mind.
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state of mind. see state of mind.
noun
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the human faculty to which are ascribed thought, feeling, etc; often regarded as an immaterial part of a person
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intelligence or the intellect, esp as opposed to feelings or wishes
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recollection or remembrance; memory
it comes to mind
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the faculty of original or creative thought; imagination
it's all in the mind
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a person considered as an intellectual being
the great minds of the past
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opinion or sentiment
we are of the same mind
to change one's mind
to have a mind of one's own
to know one's mind
to speak one's mind
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condition, state, or manner of feeling or thought
no peace of mind
his state of mind
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an inclination, desire, or purpose
I have a mind to go
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attention or thoughts
keep your mind on your work
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a sound mental state; sanity (esp in the phrase out of one's mind )
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intelligence, as opposed to material things
the mind of the universe
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(in Cartesian philosophy) one of two basic modes of existence, the other being matter
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slang
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to cause someone to have a psychedelic experience
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to astound or surprise someone
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to criticize or censure (someone) frankly or vehemently
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undecided; wavering
he was in two minds about marriage
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to decide (something or to do something)
he made up his mind to go
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in one's thoughts
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to remind (one) of
verb
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to take offence at
do you mind if I smoke? I don't mind
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to pay attention to (something); heed; notice
to mind one's own business
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(tr; takes a clause as object) to make certain; ensure
mind you tell her
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(tr) to take care of; have charge of
to mind the shop
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to be cautious or careful about (something)
mind how you go
mind your step
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(tr) to obey (someone or something); heed
mind your father!
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to be concerned (about); be troubled (about)
never mind your hat
never mind about your hat
never mind
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(tr; passive; takes an infinitive) to be intending or inclined (to do something)
clearly he was not minded to finish the story
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dialect (tr) to remember
do ye mind his name?
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(tr) to remind
that minds me of another story
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an expression qualifying a previous statement
Dogs are nice. Mind you, I don't like all dogs
Synonym Usage
Mind, intellect, intelligence refer to mental equipment or qualities. Mind is that part of a human being that thinks, feels, and wills, as contrasted with body: His mind was capable of grasping the significance of the problem. Intellect is reasoning power as distinguished from feeling; it is often used in a general sense to characterize high mental ability: to appeal to the intellect, rather than the emotions. Intelligence is ability to learn and to understand; it is also mental alertness or quickness of understanding: A dog has more intelligence than many other animals. Mind, brain, brains may refer to mental capacity. Mind is the philosophical and general term for the center of mental activity, and is therefore used of intellectual powers: a brilliant mind. Brain is properly the physiological term for the organic structure that makes mental activity possible ( The brain is the center of the nervous system. ), but it is often applied, like mind, to intellectual capacity: a fertile brain. Brains is the anatomical word ( the brains of an animal used for food ), but, in popular usage, it is applied to intelligence (particularly of a shrewd, practical nature): To run a business takes brains.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mindsimple
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mindssimple
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have mindedperfect
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has mindedperfect
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am mindingprogressive
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are mindingprogressive
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is mindingprogressive
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have been mindingperfect progressive
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has been mindingperfect progressive
Past
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mindedsimple
-
had mindedperfect
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was mindingprogressive
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were mindingprogressive
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had been mindingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mind
First recorded before 900; Middle English noun minde, miende, mende, Old English gemynd “memory, remembrance, mind”; cognate with Gothic gamunds; akin to Latin mēns (stem ment- ) “mind,” Greek manía “madness”; verb derivative of the noun
Explanation
Your mind is where your thinking happens. If you've made up your mind, you've come to a decision. Mind can also mean "pay attention to" or "watch." If someone tells you to "mind your manners," they want you to be polite. If you tell them to "mind their own business," maybe they'll leave you alone. When I ask, "Would you mind if I open a window?" I'm asking if this would bother you.
Vocabulary lists containing mind
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But the authorities were "keeping an open mind", she added in a statement.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
This was the foundation of the Western mind: our math, our science, our medicine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Now, the term plague is linked to the sudden and uncertain death of a healthy young woman—and this time it easily calls to mind our own recent, collective plague-like experience.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
A few years ago, there’s no way that thought would’ve crossed his mind.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Sarah R. asked, like she could read his mind.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Flagship companies, including carmaker Volkswagen, have announced massive job cuts in recent months, changing minds in Berlin and paving the way for the Franco-German initiative, according to officials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The US economy is on the minds of many voters struggling with the price of fuel, groceries, housing and healthcare.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
I’m having plenty of fun engaging with music made with human ears, hands and minds.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
He added: "An environment where things like this can happen is no place to grow artificial minds that could be smarter than we are and that might not do what we want them to."
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
“Good to know so many fine minds are working to protect this place,” Baba said.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
The audience instantly understands that this is Schoenbrun riffing on their own intellectually minded approach, and that Kris is a self-insert character for the movie’s writer-director.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
"I hope people can see that we actually bring value to the game of golf. My wish is that people give us one more shot and be open minded."
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Charlie O’Neill, co-head of model training at AI inference startup Baseten, thinks of quantitatively minded new hires as “hill-climbers” or “number-go-up people,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
On balance, Gave is minded to forecast the yen’s depreciating days may be ending.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Nobody minded playing around, the girls said, but in this case Jeff had crossed the line.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Ihab Ayad, a relative of the women, said that they had been "minding their own business" at home when Israel carried out the strike.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
"The guilt is there also because whenever you start minding, the families nearly become an extension of your family, so you're feeling for them."
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
“I feel sorry for him, but I feel sorry for the Roebucks too. Two innocent people minding their own business.”
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
It’s about gratitude and respect for you and your husband, especially given that you do so much for your daughter, including minding her own daughter.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
She was passing through one of the trunks, not really minding where she was going, when she smacked her nose.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
