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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.

Governments like Canada’s “pushed the idea of immigration to solve problems, and it just didn’t do anything,” said Mikal Skuterud, an economics professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

And so he does such a great job with this show and taking this idea of like, “Could an actor like Riz Ahmed, could he be James Bond? Should he be James Bond? Why not?”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

The idea that McGinn's career had hit its ceiling could not have been further off the mark, but he was lucky to have one at all two years later.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

Here’s the idea: When you’re still working and adding money, the order of your returns barely matters.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

“No, Sadie. She wanted her mother back. You never looked at Mercy the same way after she lost her gift. You have no idea how much that hurt her.”

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold




Vocabulary lists containing idea


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