train of thought

Idioms and Phrases

A succession of connected ideas, a path of reasoning, as in You've interrupted my train of thought; now what was I saying? This idiom, which uses train in the sense of “an orderly sequence,” was first recorded in 1651, in philosopher Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan .

Example Sentences

The so-called weave is now being used to rationalize his inability to keep a single train of thought or give a straight answer in an interview:

From Salon

The president appeared meandering and confused throughout the debate, giving incomplete answers and seeming to lose his train of thought at multiple points.

From Los Angeles Times

But what was interesting about that interview is that it showed really how hard it is to get Donald Trump to stay on topic, or to have one train of thought.

From Salon

Your relative might lose his train of thought; another person’s relative might get stuck in verbal cul-de-sacs of nonsense.

From Salon

“He was rambling; he’d start an answer then lose his train of thought, then would just say ‘whatever.’

From Salon

Related Words

• acumen
• analysis
• argument
• hypothesis
• inference
• interpretation
• premise
• proposition
• rationale
• thinking