thought

¹ American  

[thawt] / θɔt /

noun

• thoughts
  plural

1. the product of mental activity; that which one thinks.

   a body of thought.

2. a single act or product of thinking; idea or notion.

   to collect one's thoughts.

3. the act or process of thinking; mental activity.

   Thought as well as action wearies us.

   Synonyms:

   cogitation, reflection, deliberation, rumination, meditation

4. the capacity or faculty of thinking, reasoning, imagining, etc..

   All her thought went into her work.

5. a consideration or reflection.

   Thought of death terrified her.

6. meditation, contemplation, or recollection.

   deep in thought.

7. intention, design, or purpose, especially a half-formed or imperfect intention.

   We had some thought of going.

8. anticipation or expectation.

   I had no thought of seeing you here.

9. consideration, attention, care, or regard.

   She took no thought of her appearance.

10. a judgment, opinion, or belief.

    According to his thought, all violence is evil.

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

    Greek thought.

12. a very small amount; a touch; bit; trifle.

    The steak is a thought underdone.

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thought ² American  

[thawt] / θɔt /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of think.

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thought British  

/ θɔːt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of think

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noun

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

2. a concept, opinion, or idea

3. philosophical or intellectual ideas typical of a particular time or place

   German thought in the 19th century

4. application of mental attention; consideration

   he gave the matter some thought

5. purpose or intention

   I have no thought of giving up

6. expectation

   no thought of reward

7. a small amount; trifle

   you could be a thought more enthusiastic

8. kindness or regard

   he has no thought for his widowed mother

thought Idioms  

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

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Usage

Spelling tips for thought The word thought is hard to spell because it sounds as if it should be spelled [ thawt ]. The combination of letters -ought can be pronounced many different ways (nine to be exact!). How to spell thought: Thinking is hard work. It might make you go "oh! ugh!" (-ough). Add a t to the end and you get thought.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• thoughts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of thought

First recorded before 900; Middle English thoght, Old English (ge)thōht; cognate with Dutch gedachte; akin to thank, think ¹

Explanation

Thought is the process of using your mind to consider something. It can also be the product of that process: an idea or just the thing you're thinking about. Thought can also refer to the organized beliefs of a period, individual, or group. If you're writing an essay about the Reformation, you'll probably want to summarize early Catholic thought regarding free will and predestination. This word can also be used to describe a personal belief or judgment you can't prove or be entirely certain of.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thought thoughts

"I thought 'I don't like the idea of this because I'm going to have to put my card details into an app that I've only just downloaded, which wasn't of my choosing'."

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

The federal course wasn’t something he thought he would ever be racing, he told reporters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Hopefully, I don’t sound as naive as those early internet optimists, who thought new shifts would usher in a golden age of humanity.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

This is thought to contribute to weight regain.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

“Look, I thought I should have won, too, or at least placed. But everyone thinks they play the best. I could have lost fair and square,” I insist.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

"My thoughts are with those affected and everyone involved," she said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

I’d really appreciate any thoughts or perspectives you have.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Rashford replied to a clip of the Stick to Football podcast in which Jamie Carragher expressed his frustration when former United defender Neville asked for thoughts on Rashford.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

If it was a car, it’d have only one gear, and I have some thoughts about the costs of that.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

For a confused, guilty moment I thought he’d read my mind and seen Russell in my thoughts.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• anxiety
• assessment
• belief
• concern
• conclusion
• dream
• expectation
• feeling
• hope
• image
• intention
• judgment
• knowledge
• notion
• opinion
• plan
• prospect
• theory
• thinking
• understanding