thought

[ thawt ]

/ θɔt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR thought ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the product of mental activity; that which one thinks: a body of thought.

a single act or product of thinking; idea or notion: to collect one's thoughts.

the act or process of thinking; mental activity: Thought as well as action wearies us.

the capacity or faculty of thinking, reasoning, imagining, etc.: All her thought went into her work.

a consideration or reflection: Thought of death terrified her.

meditation, contemplation, or recollection: deep in thought.

intention, design, or purpose, especially a half-formed or imperfect intention: We had some thought of going.

anticipation or expectation: I had no thought of seeing you here.

consideration, attention, care, or regard: She took no thought of her appearance.

a judgment, opinion, or belief: According to his thought, all violence is evil.

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

a very small amount; a touch; bit; trifle: The steak is a thought underdone.

Nearby words

thotmes i, thotmes ii, thotmes iii, thou, though, thought, thought disorder, thought experiment, thought leader, thought police, thought reading

Origin of thought

before 900; Middle English thoght, Old English (ge)thōht; cognate with Dutch gedachte; akin to thank, think¹

SYNONYMS FOR thought

2 See idea.

3 reflection, cogitation.

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Definition for thought (2 of 4)

thought

[ thawt ]

/ θɔt /

verb

simple past tense and past participle of think¹.

Definition for thought (3 of 4)

think

[ thingk ]

/ θɪŋk /

verb (used without object), thought, think·ing.

to have a conscious mind, to some extent of reasoning, remembering experiences, making rational decisions, etc.

to employ one's mind rationally and objectively in evaluating or dealing with a given situation: Think carefully before you begin.

to have a certain thing as the subject of one's thoughts: I was thinking about you. We could think of nothing else.

to call something to one's conscious mind: I couldn't think of his phone number.

to consider something as a possible action, choice, etc.: She thought about cutting her hair.

to invent or conceive of something: We thought of a new plan.

to have consideration or regard for someone: Think of others first.

to esteem a person or thing as indicated: to think badly of someone.

to have a belief or opinion as indicated: I think so.

(of a device or machine, especially a computer) to use artificial intelligence to perform an activity analogous to human thought.

verb (used with object), thought, think·ing.

to have or form in the mind as an idea, conception, etc.

to have or form in the mind in order to understand, know, or remember something else: Romantic comedy is all about chemistry: think Tracy and Hepburn. Can't guess? Here's a hint: think 19th century.

to consider for evaluation or for possible action upon: Think the deal over.

to regard as specified: He thought me unkind.

to believe to be true of someone or something: to think evil of the neighbors.

to analyze or evolve rationally: to think the problem out.

to have as a plan or intention: I thought that I would go.

to anticipate or expect: I did not think to find you here.

adjective

of or relating to thinking or thought.

Informal. stimulating or challenging to the intellect or mind: the think book of the year.Compare think piece.

noun

Informal. the act or a period of thinking: I want to sit down and give it a good think.

Verb Phrases

think of,

to conceive of; imagine.
to have an opinion or judgment of.
to consider; anticipate: When one thinks of what the future may bring, one is both worried and hopeful.

think out/through,

to think about until a conclusion is reached; understand or solve by thinking.
to devise by thinking; contrive: He thought out a plan for saving time.

think up, to devise or contrive by thinking: Can you think up an arrangement of furniture for this room?

Origin of think

before 900; Middle English thinken, variant of thenken, Old English thencan; cognate with Dutch, German denken, Old Norse thekkja, Gothic thagkjan; akin to thank

Definition for thought (4 of 4)

think

[ thingk ]

/ θɪŋk /

verb (used without object), thought, think·ing. Obsolete.

to seem or appear (usually used impersonally with a dative as the subject).

Compare methinks.

Origin of think

before 900; Middle English thinken, Old English thyncan; cognate with Dutch dunken, German dünken, Old Norse thykkja, Gothic thugkjan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for thought

In other words, the free thinker defending freedom of thought.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Rates are thought to be similar in developed countries around the world.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Because they stopped and I thought, “OK, that makes sense,” and then all of a sudden I saw another issue!
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I enjoyed it, but thought it paled in comparison to their debut.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

I thought about the mother, her fear of the dark, of the harm she feared might come to her daughters.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That was his philosophy, I thought, and I sympathized with it.
The Believing Years|Edmund Lester Pearson
For a long time cats were dreaded by the people because they thought human beings had been changed to that form by evil means.
The Book of Hallowe'en|Ruth Edna Kelley
Was there a third accomplice—for she thought she could see two spots of deeper blackness by the door—hidden in the house?
The Green Satin Gown|Laura E. Richards
He thought her very lovely, and there was a subtle suggestion of something besides loveliness.
The Butterfly House|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
I don't know how long I waited—perhaps another hour—when I thought I would try again.
The Sign of Silence|William Le Queux

British Dictionary definitions for thought (1 of 2)

thought

/ (θɔːt) /

verb

the past tense and past participle of think

noun

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

a concept, opinion, or idea

philosophical or intellectual ideas typical of a particular time or placeGerman thought in the 19th century

application of mental attention; considerationhe gave the matter some thought

purpose or intentionI have no thought of giving up

expectationno thought of reward

a small amount; trifleyou could be a thought more enthusiastic

kindness or regardhe has no thought for his widowed mother

Word Origin for thought

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

British Dictionary definitions for thought (2 of 2)

think

/ (θɪŋk) /

verb thinks, thinking or thought

(tr; may take a clause as object) to consider, judge, or believehe thinks my ideas impractical

(intr often foll by about) to exercise the mind as in order to make a decision; ponder

(intr) to be capable of conscious thoughtman is the only animal that thinks

to remember; recollectI can't think what his name is

(intr foll by of) to make the mental choice (of)think of a number

(may take a clause as object or an infinitive)

to expect; supposeI didn't think to see you here
to be considerate or aware enough (to do something)he did not think to thank them

(intr foll by of) to consider; regardshe thinks of herself as a poet

(intr) to focus the attention on beingthink thin; think big

(tr) to bring into or out of a specified condition by thinkingto think away one's fears

I don't think slang a phrase added to an ironical statementyou're the paragon of virtue, I don't think

think again to reconsider one's decision, opinion, etc

think better of

to change one's mind about (a course of action, decision, etc)
to have a more favourable opinion of (a person)

think much of (usually negative) to have a high opinion of

think nothing of

to regard as routine, easy, or natural
to have no compunction or hesitation about
to have a very low opinion of

think twice to consider carefully before deciding (about something)

noun

informal a careful, open-minded assessmentlet's have a fresh think about this problem

(modifier) informal characterized by or involving thinkers, thinking, or thoughta think session

you've got another think coming slang you are mistaken and will soon have to alter your opinion

See also think out, think over, think up

Derived Formsthinker, noun

Word Origin for think

Old English thencan; related to Old Frisian thenza, Old Saxon thenkian, Old High German denken, Old Norse thekkja, Gothic thagkjan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for thought (1 of 2)

thought

Old English þoht, geþoht, from stem of þencan "to conceive of in the mind, consider" (see think). Cognate with the second element in German Gedächtnis "memory," Andacht "attention, devotion," Bedacht "consideration, deliberation." Second thought "later consideration" is recorded from 1640s. Thought-crime is from "Nineteen Eighty-Four" (1949); thought police is attested from 1946, originally in reference to pre-war Japanese Special Higher Police (Tokubetsu Koto Keisatsu).

Word Origin and History for thought (1 of 2)

think

Old English þencan "conceive in the mind, think, consider, intend" (past tense þohte, p.p. geþoht), probably originally "cause to appear to oneself," from Proto-Germanic *thankjan (cf. Old Frisian thinka, Old Saxon thenkian, Old High German denchen, German denken, Old Norse þekkja, Gothic þagkjan); Old English þencan is the causative form of the distinct Old English verb þyncan "to seem or appear" (past tense þuhte, past participle geþuht), from Proto-Germanic *thunkjan (cf. German dünken, däuchte). Both are from PIE *tong- "to think, feel" which also is the root of thought and thank. The two meanings converged in Middle English and þyncan "to seem" was absorbed, except for archaic methinks "it seems to me." Jocular past participle thunk (not historical, but by analogy of drink, sink, etc.) is recorded from 1876.

Medicine definitions for thought (1 of 2)

thought

[ thôt ]

n.

The act or the process of thinking; cogitation.

A product of thinking, such as an idea.

The faculty of thinking or reasoning.

Medicine definitions for thought (2 of 2)

think

[ thĭngk ]

v.

To exercise the power of reason, as by conceiving ideas, drawing inferences, and using judgment.

To weigh or consider an idea.

To bring a thought to mind by imagination or invention.

To recall a thought or an image to mind.

Idioms and Phrases with thought (1 of 2)

thought

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

Idioms and Phrases with thought (2 of 2)

think

In addition to the idioms beginning with think

think a lot of
think aloud
think back
think better of
think big
thinking cap
think little of
think nothing of
think on one's feet
think out
think over
think piece
think positive
think tank
think the world of
think through
think twice
think up

also see:

come to think of it
have another guess (think) coming
hear oneself think
not think much of
put on one's thinking cap
wishful thinking

Also see underthought.

thought

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of thought

Definition for thought (2 of 4)

thought

verb

Definition for thought (3 of 4)

think

verb (used without object), thought, think·ing.

verb (used with object), thought, think·ing.

adjective

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of think

Definition for thought (4 of 4)

think

verb (used without object), thought, think·ing. Obsolete.

Origin of think

Examples from the Web for thought

British Dictionary definitions for thought (1 of 2)

thought

verb

noun

Word Origin for thought

British Dictionary definitions for thought (2 of 2)

think

verb thinks, thinking or thought

noun

Word Origin for think

Word Origin and History for thought (1 of 2)

thought

Word Origin and History for thought (1 of 2)

think

Medicine definitions for thought (1 of 2)

thought

n.

Medicine definitions for thought (2 of 2)

think

v.

Idioms and Phrases with thought (1 of 2)

thought

Idioms and Phrases with thought (2 of 2)

think