Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

thought

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
noun American English pronunciation: thought /θɔt/ 
Word Forms
Close
singularthought
pluralthoughts
 
  1. 1
    [countable] a word, idea, or image that comes into your mind

    a comforting/sobering/chilling thought

    thought of:

    His mind was filled with thoughts of revenge.

    a thought comes/occurs to someone:

    Another thought came to me about the new house.

    A sudden thought occurred to him, just as he was leaving.

    a thought crosses/enters someone’s mind:

    The thought had crossed my mind that we were taking a big risk.

    read someone’s thoughts (=know what someone is thinking):

    “How about a cup of coffee?” she said, reading my thoughts.

    the thought of:

    She couldn’t stand the thought of seeing him again.

    someone’s thoughts wander (=they think about something else):

    When she tried to consider the problem, her thoughts wandered.

    the thought strikes someone (=they suddenly think something):

    The thought struck him that maybe they were trying to cheat him.

    someone’s thoughts race (=are out of control):

    I tried to be calm, but my thoughts were racing.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  thoughtThesaurus entry for this meaning of thought
  2. 2
    [uncountable] the mental effort that you make to understand something, to make decisions, or to solve problems

    Deep in thought, he did not hear the doorbell ring.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  thoughtThesaurus entry for this meaning of thought
  3. 3
    [countable] an idea or opinion about something
    thought on/about:

    Do any members want to express their thoughts on this question?

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  thoughtThesaurus entry for this meaning of thought
  4. 4
    [countable/uncountable] a plan or wish to do something
    have no thought of doing something:

    He insists he has no thought of running for office.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  thoughtThesaurus entry for this meaning of thought
  5. 5
    [uncountable] a system of organized ideas about a particular subject or that a particular group of people has

    Darwin’s theory dominates biological thought as much today as ever.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  thoughtThesaurus entry for this meaning of thought

phrases

This is the American English definition of thought. View British English definition of thought.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

zeugma

the use of a word twice in the same sentence but with different meanings. The sentence ‘She...

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog