train of thought

Idioms  

1. A succession of connected ideas, a path of reasoning, as in You've interrupted my train of thought; now what was I saying? This idiom, which uses train in the sense of “an orderly sequence,” was first recorded in 1651, in philosopher Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan.

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Example Sentences

It can be embarrassing, he says, when he loses his train of thought or when someone reminds him he’s already told a story.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

The train of thought derails as soon as the server at Smoke House presents a large silver tray, its display slices of cakes layered and its pies adorned with ice cream.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2025

Another seemingly innocuous cartoon shows a man at his desk sighing, "My train of thought has derailed."

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2025

The so-called weave is now being used to rationalize his inability to keep a single train of thought or give a straight answer in an interview:

From Salon • Oct. 16, 2024

I’m not sure he got me at all, but his loopy train of thought makes me smile.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Related Words

• acumen
• analysis
• argument
• hypothesis
• inference
• interpretation
• premise
• proposition
• rationale
• thinking