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

There is a train of thought that Scottish football, for all its drama, intrigue and excitement, wasn't always the best quality.

From BBC • Aug. 7, 2025

While talking about his sophomore album, “Kansas Anymore,” Pillsbury suddenly lost his train of thought and, through his phone’s camera, a panicked smile takes over his typically sarcastic composure.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2025

The key failing of Walz was not a lost train of thought here or there, or his obvious jitters and nerves at the debate’s outset.

From Slate • Oct. 2, 2024

There was no physical act, no word spoken aloud, that they had not noticed, no train of thought that they had not been able to infer.

From "1984" by George Orwell

Related Words

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