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idea
[ ahy-dee-uh, ahy-deeuh ]
noun
- any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.
- a thought, conception, or notion:
That is an excellent idea.
- an impression:
He gave me a general idea of how he plans to run the department.
- an opinion, view, or belief:
His ideas on raising children are certainly strange.
- a plan of action; an intention:
the idea of becoming an engineer.
- a groundless supposition; fantasy.
- Philosophy.
- a concept developed by the mind.
- a conception of what is desirable or ought to be; ideal.
- (initial capital letter) Platonism. Also called form. an archetype or pattern of which the individual objects in any natural class are imperfect copies and from which they derive their being.
- Kantianism. idea of pure reason.
- Music. a theme, phrase, or figure.
- Obsolete.
- a likeness.
- a mental image.
Idea
1/ aɪˈdɪə /
idea
2/ aɪˈdɪə /
noun
- any content of the mind, esp the conscious mind
- the thought of something
the very idea appals me
- a mental representation of something
she's got a good idea of the layout of the factory
- the characterization of something in general terms; concept
the idea of a square circle is self-contradictory
- an individual's conception of something
his idea of honesty is not the same as yours and mine
- the belief that something is the case
he has the idea that what he's doing is right
- a scheme, intention, plan, etc
here's my idea for the sales campaign
- a vague notion or indication; inkling
he had no idea of what life would be like in Africa
- significance or purpose
the idea of the game is to discover the murderer
- philosophy
- a private mental object, regarded as the immediate object of thought or perception
- a Platonic Idea or Form
- music a thematic phrase or figure; motif
- obsolete.a mental image
- get ideasto become ambitious, restless, etc
- not one's idea ofnot what one regards as (hard work, a holiday, etc)
- that's an ideathat is worth considering
- the very idea!that is preposterous, unreasonable, etc
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Usage
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Derived Forms
- iˈdealess, adjective
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Other Words From
- i·dea·less adjective
- prei·dea noun
- subi·dea noun
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of idea1
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Idioms and Phrases
see bright idea ; put ideas in someone's head ; what's the idea .Advertisement
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Related Words
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.
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