First Known Use: before 12th century
Dictionary
1thought
2thought
noun \ˈthȯt\
: an idea, plan, opinion, picture, etc., that is formed in your mind : something that you think of
: the act or process of thinking
: the act of carefully thinking about the details of something
Full Definition of THOUGHT
1
a : the action or process of thinking : cogitation b : serious consideration : regard c archaic : recollection, remembrance
2
a : reasoning power b : the power to imagine : conception
3
: something that is thought: as a : an individual act or product of thinking b : a developed intention or plan <had no thought of leaving home> c : something (as an opinion or belief) in the mind <he spoke his thoughts freely> d : the intellectual product or the organized views and principles of a period, place, group, or individual <contemporary Western thought>
— a thought
: a little : somewhat <a thought too much vinegar in the dressing>
See thought defined for English-language learners
Examples of THOUGHT
- He could easily have held the audience for a one-hour answer that ranged from his thoughts on jazz to his soap-opera career playing gangsters … —Calvin Trillin, Nation, 28 May 2007
- … thoughts expressed while sitting alone at the keyboard would be put more diplomatically—or go unmentioned—face to face. —Daniel Goleman, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2007
- Yes, well don't forget, sir, we're viewing this with twenty-twenty hindsight, but at the time no one gave a thought to geckos or what they ate—they were just another fact of life in the tropics. —T. Coraghessan Boyle, Harper's, April 1993
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Origin of THOUGHT
Middle English, from Old English thōht; akin to Old English thencan to think — more at think
Related to THOUGHT
- Synonyms
- account, advisement, debate, deliberation, reflection, study, consideration
- Antonyms
- short shrift
Synonym Discussion of THOUGHT
idea, concept, conception, thought, notion, impression mean what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan). idea may apply to a mental image or formulation of something seen or known or imagined, to a pure abstraction, or to something assumed or vaguely sensed <innovative ideas> <my idea of paradise>. concept may apply to the idea formed by consideration of instances of a species or genus or, more broadly, to any idea of what a thing ought to be <a society with no concept of private property>. conception is often interchangeable with concept ; it may stress the process of imagining or formulating rather than the result <our changing conception of what constitutes art>. thought is likely to suggest the result of reflecting, reasoning, or meditating rather than of imagining <commit your thoughts to paper>. notion suggests an idea not much resolved by analysis or reflection and may suggest the capricious or accidental <you have the oddest notions>. impression applies to an idea or notion resulting immediately from some stimulation of the senses <the first impression is of soaring height>.
THOUGHT Defined for Kids
1thought
Definition of THOUGHT for Kids
past and past participle of think
2thought
noun \ˈthȯt\
Definition of THOUGHT for Kids
1
: the act or process of thinking <She was deep in thought.>
2
: something (as an idea or opinion) formed in the mind <What are your thoughts on the matter?>
3
: serious attention <Give thought to the future.>
Medical Dictionary
thought
noun \ˈthȯt\
Medical Definition of THOUGHT
1
a : the action or process of thinking b : serious consideration
2
a : reasoning power b : the power to imagine : conception
3
: something that is thought: as a : an individual act or product of thinking b : a developed intention or plan <he had no thought of leaving home> c : something (as an opinion or belief) in the mind <she spoke her thoughts freely> d : the intellectual product or the organized views and principles of a period, place, group, or individual
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