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• idea
  idea

  noun

  any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.
• Idea
  Idea

  noun

  another name for Form

idea

American  

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

noun

• ideas
  plural

1. any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.

2. a thought, conception, or notion.

   That is an excellent idea.

3. an impression.

   He gave me a general idea of how he plans to run the department.

4. an opinion, view, or belief.

   His ideas on raising children are certainly strange.

   Synonyms:

   judgment, sentiment

5. a plan of action; an intention.

   the idea of becoming an engineer.

6. a groundless supposition; fantasy.

7. Philosophy.

   1. a concept developed by the mind.

   2. a conception of what is desirable or ought to be; ideal.

   3. 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.

   4. Kantianism. idea of pure reason.

8. Music. a theme, phrase, or figure.

9. Obsolete.

   1. a likeness.

   2. a mental image.

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idea ¹ British  

/ aɪˈdɪə /

noun

1. any content of the mind, esp the conscious mind

2. the thought of something

   the very idea appals me

3. a mental representation of something

   she's got a good idea of the layout of the factory

4. the characterization of something in general terms; concept

   the idea of a square circle is self-contradictory

5. an individual's conception of something

   his idea of honesty is not the same as yours and mine

6. the belief that something is the case

   he has the idea that what he's doing is right

7. a scheme, intention, plan, etc

   here's my idea for the sales campaign

8. a vague notion or indication; inkling

   he had no idea of what life would be like in Africa

9. significance or purpose

   the idea of the game is to discover the murderer

10. philosophy

    1. a private mental object, regarded as the immediate object of thought or perception

    2. a Platonic Idea or Form

11. music a thematic phrase or figure; motif

12. obsolete a mental image

13. to become ambitious, restless, etc

14. not what one regards as (hard work, a holiday, etc)

15. that is worth considering

16. that is preposterous, unreasonable, etc

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Idea ² British  

/ aɪˈdɪə /

noun

1. another name for Form

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idea Idioms  

1. see bright idea; put ideas in someone's head; what's the idea.

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Usage

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. 

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preidea
  noun
• subidea
  noun
• idealess
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ideas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of idea

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

Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

idea Idea ideas

The pair brainstormed an idea they would later pitch to OpenAI: using AI to design remedies against AI-enabled bioweapons, and cure other scourges along the way, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

“We get really sucked into the idea of looking up to someone and wanting to be just like them, and that’s not right,” she said.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

But the idea that oxygen has always been beneficial for all eukaryotes has come under fire in recent years.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

UIV president Lamberto Frescobaldi, a 33rd-generation Tuscan winegrower, said he was also open to the idea of removing old or unviable grapevines.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

Sneaking out of the house on the north side to go to a party after sunset probably isn’t a good idea.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

He entered Barker’s orbit in 2024 when the director’s comedy team, That’s a Bad Idea, was looking for original music and a mutual friend hit up a producer Burwell collaborated with.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

All the while, he and creative partner Cooper Tomlinson were trialling content online, mixing comedy sketches on TikTok and Instagram with horror shorts such as "The Chair" on their YouTube channel "That's a Bad Idea".

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

Since then, it has mostly been left to nature, although the Big Idea science centre opened on the peninsula about 26 years ago.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

Gordon Wood’s “The Idea of America” traces, through a series of essays, how the ideas born in that era have evolved and been debated for the past 250 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 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

They were doing something more interesting: building careers around their own identities, experiences and ideas rather than trying to force themselves into the traditional mold of what a chef is supposed to look like.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

That’s because Kelly’s best ideas aren’t banked off of events on a rote news-priority punch list.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Displayed alongside several of Ishioka’s original design drawings, the armor offers a fascinating look at how her ideas evolved from pencil on paper into something almost anatomical.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

The unexpected finding challenges current ideas about how dead stars exchange matter and energy with their surroundings.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026

“Thank you all for sharing. Now, I’d like to start brainstorming some ideas for how we can begin to repair the harm that you all just described. Gabe, would you like to start?”

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Related Words

• belief
• concept
• conception
• conclusion
• design
• feeling
• form
• intention
• interpretation
• meaning
• notion
• objective
• opinion
• perception
• plan
• scheme
• sense
• solution
• suggestion
• theory