any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.
a thought, conception, or notion.
That is an excellent idea.
an impression.
He gave me a general idea of how he plans to run the department.
an opinion, view, or belief.
His ideas on raising children are certainly strange.
a plan of action; an intention.
the idea of becoming an engineer.
a groundless supposition; fantasy.
Philosophy.
a concept developed by the mind.
a conception of what is desirable or ought to be; ideal.
Also called form. (initial capital letter) an archetype or pattern of which the individual objects in any natural class are imperfect copies and from which they derive their being.
Kantianism. idea of pure reason.
Music. a theme, phrase, or figure.
Obsolete.
a likeness.
a mental image.
any content of the mind, esp the conscious mind
the thought of something
the very idea appals me
a mental representation of something
she's got a good idea of the layout of the factory
the characterization of something in general terms; concept
the idea of a square circle is self-contradictory
an individual's conception of something
his idea of honesty is not the same as yours and mine
the belief that something is the case
he has the idea that what he's doing is right
a scheme, intention, plan, etc
here's my idea for the sales campaign
a vague notion or indication; inkling
he had no idea of what life would be like in Africa
significance or purpose
the idea of the game is to discover the murderer
philosophy
a private mental object, regarded as the immediate object of thought or perception
a Platonic Idea or Form
music a thematic phrase or figure; motif
obsolete a mental image
to become ambitious, restless, etc
not what one regards as (hard work, a holiday, etc)
that is worth considering
that is preposterous, unreasonable, etc
What are other ways to say idea? An idea is any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity. How is idea different from thought, conception, and notion? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
First recorded in 1400–50; from Late Latin from Greek idéā “form, pattern,” equivalent to ide- (stem of ideîn “to see”) + -ā feminine noun ending; replacing late Middle English idee from Middle French from Late Latin, as above; akin to wit 1
When you suddenly know what to do and a cartoon light bulb appears above your head, you've probably just had an idea. After burning the roast and dropping the mashed potatoes, ordering pizza seemed like your best idea all night. Idea goes all the way back to idein in Greek, meaning “to see.” When someone says “Picture this!” they want to give you an idea. When you try to imagine something, idea can also mean a rough outline or a general sense: "This drawing I've made doesn't show every detail of my time machine, but it will give you some idea of how it works."
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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 make this an accessible, affordable entertainment option for the community,” Rosenberg said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
"It's that good idea, it's that good initiative, but the practicalities, the logistics and the perception isn't quite thought through."
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
I have been educating myself to determine whether a trust would be a good idea for our estate.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
These detractors, he said, "have no idea how hopelessly serious the crisis has become" for Okinawa's coral.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Lulu learned that Willy had been in the Bataan Death March but had no idea whether he survived or not.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Appeared in the June 11, 2026, print edition as 'Scott Pelley’s Idea of Journalism'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
The exhibit is the second curatorial collaboration between Martin and Philbin since 2015, when they partnered on “The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris” at the Hammer Museum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
Siddharth Soni, 23, showed AFP a box of AI-designed jewellery, mostly in classical Indian style, made by the company Idea Jewellery which he co-founded in 2023.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
Not far from CEAD, in the port city of Rotterdam, a company called Raw Idea and their 'Tanaruz' brand are looking at making a similar impact in the leisure market, especially rentals.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2025
“These cows are...never you mind. Idea is, this ain’t just any milk. It’s highly contaminated. I wash my hands good after even handling the stuff.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
“Those of us that disagree with those ideas are kind of talking about the problems we see, wringing our hands at cocktail parties, but we’re not as organized as we need to be,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
I have some vague ideas, but right now more on the musical side of my personality,” Kaye said.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
He contemplated calling friends to run ideas by them when he got stuck but ultimately resisted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Zelensky added that the two discussed the Patriot licences and "several ideas that could help".
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Capron also wove the sisters’ revelations into existing ideas set forth by yet another man, the well-known clairvoyant lecturer Andrew Jackson Davis, known as the “Poughkeepsie Seer.”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
