thought
1 Americannoun
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thoughts
plural
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the product of mental activity; that which one thinks.
a body of thought.
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a single act or product of thinking; idea or notion.
to collect one's thoughts.
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the act or process of thinking; mental activity.
Thought as well as action wearies us.
- Synonyms:
- cogitation, reflection, deliberation, rumination, meditation
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the capacity or faculty of thinking, reasoning, imagining, etc..
All her thought went into her work.
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a consideration or reflection.
Thought of death terrified her.
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meditation, contemplation, or recollection.
deep in thought.
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intention, design, or purpose, especially a half-formed or imperfect intention.
We had some thought of going.
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anticipation or expectation.
I had no thought of seeing you here.
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consideration, attention, care, or regard.
She took no thought of her appearance.
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a judgment, opinion, or belief.
According to his thought, all violence is evil.
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the intellectual activity or the ideas, opinions, etc., characteristic of a particular place, class, or time.
Greek thought.
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a very small amount; a touch; bit; trifle.
The steak is a thought underdone.
verb
verb
noun
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the act or process of thinking; deliberation, meditation, or reflection
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a concept, opinion, or idea
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philosophical or intellectual ideas typical of a particular time or place
German thought in the 19th century
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application of mental attention; consideration
he gave the matter some thought
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purpose or intention
I have no thought of giving up
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expectation
no thought of reward
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a small amount; trifle
you could be a thought more enthusiastic
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kindness or regard
he has no thought for his widowed mother
Usage
Spelling tips for thought The word thought is hard to spell because it sounds as if it should be spelled [ thawt ]. The combination of letters -ought can be pronounced many different ways (nine to be exact!). How to spell thought: Thinking is hard work. It might make you go "oh! ugh!" (-ough). Add a t to the end and you get thought.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of thought
First recorded before 900; Middle English thoght, Old English (ge)thōht; cognate with Dutch gedachte; akin to thank, think 1
Explanation
Thought is the process of using your mind to consider something. It can also be the product of that process: an idea or just the thing you're thinking about. Thought can also refer to the organized beliefs of a period, individual, or group. If you're writing an essay about the Reformation, you'll probably want to summarize early Catholic thought regarding free will and predestination. This word can also be used to describe a personal belief or judgment you can't prove or be entirely certain of.
Vocabulary lists containing thought
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.
See Examples For:
He called that “tight but workable,” and I’ve thought about those words every night since.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026
He once remarked in a company all-hands that he thought parents wouldn’t suggest their children as employees unless they were qualified enough to have the job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026
A handful of actors are thought to have made it to the final screen tests to take on Britain's biggest film role.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
“The thought of dating him never crossed my mind. It wasn’t until a couple of years later that I kind of looked at him in a different way.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
Disappointed, I mutter, “I thought he was a gunslinger.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
On initial thoughts, it is easy to question how and why Salah ended up here.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026
This region helps the brain direct attention toward important information and manage cognitive control, which allows people to regulate their thoughts and actions while completing tasks.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026
I called up Andrea Hernández, a trend forecaster who runs the popular food-and-beverage newsletter Snaxshot, to get her thoughts on Erewhon’s allure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Tech companies specifically may worry about thoughts that they are investing more in AI than in employees, he added.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
In that room on that day, such thoughts were not even thinkable.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
