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Definitions

idea

[ahy-dee-uh, ahy-deeuh] / aɪˈdi ə, aɪˈdiə /


Usage

What are other ways to say idea? The noun idea, although it may refer to thoughts of any degree of seriousness or triviality, is commonly used for mental concepts considered more important or elaborate: We pondered the idea of the fourth dimension. The idea of his arrival frightened me. Thought, which reflects its primary emphasis on the mental process, may denote any concept except the more weighty and elaborate ones: I welcomed his thoughts on the subject. A thought came to him. Conception suggests a thought that seems complete, individual, recent, or somewhat intricate: The architect's conception delighted them. Notion suggests a fleeting, vague, or imperfect thought: a bare notion of how to proceed.

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.

The idea is to put cases on a "fast track".

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Knight had to go to court to fight a former work colleague, Charles Annan, from patenting the idea himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

And so, I’m actually really excited about that idea of someone saying, “OK, I’m ready to take it for a spin.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

The European Union was quick to denounce the idea Thursday.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

I knew she didn’t mind the idea of my working so much.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu