Did you know?


idea - definition and synonyms


What are red words?





noun idea pronunciation in British English /aɪˈdɪə/
Word Forms
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  1. 1
    [countable] a thought that you have about how to do something or how to deal with something
    What a brilliant idea!
    have an idea: Then I had an idea: we could stay with Mark.
    idea for: an idea for a new TV show
    get an idea for something: Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
    get the idea to do something: How did you get the idea to remove the window from the outside?
    have/get the idea of doing something: Then she got the idea of sending the poems to a publisher.
    1. a.
      [often plural] an opinion or belief
      idea about/on something: I don’t agree with his ideas about education.
      Her ideas on the subject were not ones I shared.
      have an idea: She has some pretty strange ideas about how to bring up children.
    2. b.
      how you imagine something to be
      idea of: We didn’t have a clear idea of what to expect from the training course.
      Standing in the rain for two hours was not my idea of fun.
      be my idea of heaven/paradise/bliss (=something that is extremely enjoyable): Lying by the pool with a good book is my idea of heaven.
  2. 2
    [singular/uncountable] information or knowledge that you have about something
    idea of: I had only a basic idea of how the machine worked.
    have no idea (=not know at all): They had no idea what time they were supposed to arrive.
    not have the slightest/faintest/foggiest/remotest idea (=not know at all): He didn’t have the slightest idea of how she really felt.
  3. 3
    [countable/uncountable] a purpose or intention
    idea behind/of: What’s the idea behind these proposals?
    the idea is to do something: The idea is to make more people rich.
    have other ideas (=have a different intention): My parents wanted me to be a doctor, but I had other ideas.
    with the idea of doing something: He had arrived at the school with the idea of starting a band.
  4. 4
    [countable] a principle
    The policy is based on the idea that some industries need to be protected from market forces.
    idea of: I’m a great believer in the idea of democracy.



BuzzWord Article

Open Dictionary

troll factory


add a word



global English and language change from our blog