thought
1 Americannoun
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the product of mental activity; that which one thinks.
a body of thought.
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a single act or product of thinking; idea or notion.
to collect one's thoughts.
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the act or process of thinking; mental activity.
Thought as well as action wearies us.
- Synonyms:
- cogitation, reflection, deliberation, rumination, meditation
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the capacity or faculty of thinking, reasoning, imagining, etc..
All her thought went into her work.
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a consideration or reflection.
Thought of death terrified her.
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meditation, contemplation, or recollection.
deep in thought.
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intention, design, or purpose, especially a half-formed or imperfect intention.
We had some thought of going.
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anticipation or expectation.
I had no thought of seeing you here.
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consideration, attention, care, or regard.
She took no thought of her appearance.
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a judgment, opinion, or belief.
According to his thought, all violence is evil.
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the intellectual activity or the ideas, opinions, etc., characteristic of a particular place, class, or time.
Greek thought.
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a very small amount; a touch; bit; trifle.
The steak is a thought underdone.
verb
verb
noun
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the act or process of thinking; deliberation, meditation, or reflection
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a concept, opinion, or idea
-
philosophical or intellectual ideas typical of a particular time or place
German thought in the 19th century
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application of mental attention; consideration
he gave the matter some thought
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purpose or intention
I have no thought of giving up
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expectation
no thought of reward
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a small amount; trifle
you could be a thought more enthusiastic
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kindness or regard
he has no thought for his widowed mother
Usage
Spelling tips for thought The word thought is hard to spell because it sounds as if it should be spelled [ thawt ]. The combination of letters -ought can be pronounced many different ways (nine to be exact!). How to spell thought: Thinking is hard work. It might make you go "oh! ugh!" (-ough). Add a t to the end and you get thought.
Etymology
Origin of thought
First recorded before 900; Middle English thoght, Old English (ge)thōht; cognate with Dutch gedachte; akin to thank, think 1
Explanation
Thought is the process of using your mind to consider something. It can also be the product of that process: an idea or just the thing you're thinking about. Thought can also refer to the organized beliefs of a period, individual, or group. If you're writing an essay about the Reformation, you'll probably want to summarize early Catholic thought regarding free will and predestination. This word can also be used to describe a personal belief or judgment you can't prove or be entirely certain of.
Vocabulary lists containing thought
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was hard to see what some of Pratt’s loudest and most strident supporters actually thought was worth preserving in the city — but not why they felt he was their man.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
“The pain for recent buyers was historically extreme not because the price move was the worst ever, but because it hit people who thought the bottom was already in,” says Cex.io.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
"I was really annoyed because I thought, 'I always wanted to get to the Bundesliga, and now they are living my dream,'" he told Die Zeit.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
"These highest-energy cosmic rays are thought to come from extreme astrophysical sources, like two neutron stars colliding or a massive star collapsing," Murase said.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
I catch Dad wince as the thought hits him.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
