Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
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.

No one forced him to sign-up, he said, but the idea was constantly present.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

The hypothesis views Earth itself as capable of gradually producing an organic world from an initially all-inorganic environment under harsh primordial conditions, an idea broadly consistent with earlier abiogenesis concepts.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

For every idea, Höttges insisted on considering the antithesis as well.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

But Beck had the crazy idea of creating a small rocket that would make frequent and cheap trips to space.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026

I knew she was brave, but had no idea she could be this inventive.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo




Vocabulary lists containing idea


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "idea" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com