idea

Plural: ideas, ideæ

Noun

• A thought, concept, or notion existing in the mind.
• the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
  • "it was not a good idea"
• your intention; what you intend to do
  • "the idea of the game is to capture all the pieces"
• a personal view
  • "he has an idea that we don't like him"
• an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
  • "a rough idea how long it would take"
• (music) melodic subject of a musical composition
  • "the accompanist picked up the idea and elaborated it"
• An abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life examples are seen as imperfect approximations; pure essence, as opposed to actual examples.
• The conception of someone or something as representing a perfect example; an ideal.
• The form or shape of something; a quintessential aspect or characteristic.
• An image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory.
• More generally, any result of mental activity; a thought, a notion; a way of thinking.
• A conception in the mind of something to be done; a plan for doing something, an intention.
• A purposeful aim or goal; intent
• A vague or fanciful notion; a feeling or hunch; an impression.
• A musical theme or melodic subject.

Examples

• A brilliant idea for a bingo hit me as I stared at the remaining tiles.
• He had the wild idea that if he leant forward a little, he might be able to touch the mountain-top.
• I have an idea of how we might escape.
• The mere idea of you is enough to excite me.
• Yeah, that's the idea.

Synonyms

approximation, estimate, estimation, melodic theme, mind, musical theme, theme, thought, image

Related Words

ideal, idealism, idealist, ideality, idealize, ideate, ideatum, ideocracy, ideologue, ideology, in idea, IDEALESS