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:
“I thought it was a clean hit. In the second of the game, I thought it was clean.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Dad Daniel said he thought the message would resonate with the princess, after she completed her own Three Peaks challenge earlier this year, in aid of the hospital where she was treated for cancer.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Just 14% of those polled thought more jobs will become available six months from now.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
The company initially thought it could make a game for about 20% more than the cost in China, after factoring in shipping, said Adam Hocherman, WS Game’s director of new business development.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
He thought hard, and at last found the solution: he would continue on his way and ask the first person he met to do him the honor and dub him a knight!
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Readers shared their thoughts about how they’re preparing for extreme weather this winter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
She asked for my thoughts, as her plate is obviously full at the moment.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Such thoughts on the Cage train poorly suited arriving in the heart of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
How the US and China are different—and similar—in their thoughts on the technology.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026
They don’t all agree on one point of view, but everyone argues their thoughts passionately.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
