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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary idea ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Latin, from Greek, from ideinto see — more at wit DATE 14th century 1. a. a transcendent entity that is a real pattern of which existing things are imperfect representations b. a standard of perfection : ideal c. a plan for action : design 2. archaic : a visible representation of a conception : a replica of a pattern 3. a. obsolete : an image recalled by memory b. an indefinite or unformed conception c. an entity (as a thought, concept, sensation, or image) actually or potentially present to consciousness 4. a formulated thought or opinion 5. whatever is known or supposed about something a child's idea of time 6. the central meaning or chief end of a particular action or situation 7. Christian Science : an image in Mind Synonyms. 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 English Etymology idea 1430, "figure, image, symbol," from L. idea "idea," and in Platonic philosophy "archetype," from Gk. idea "ideal prototype," lit. "look, form," from idein "to see," from PIE *wid-es-ya-, suffixed form of base *weid- "to see" (see vision). Sense of "result of thinking" first recorded 1645. "Men of one idea, like a hen with one chicken, and that a duckling." [Thoreau, "Walden"] Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ idea idea / ai5diE; NAmE -5di:E / nounPLAN / THOUGHT 计划；思想 1. [C] ~ (for sth) | ~ (of sth) | ~ (of doing sth) a plan, thought or suggestion, especially about what to do in a particular situation 想法；构思；主意: It would be a good idea to call before we leave. 我们出发之前打个电话是个好主意。 I like the idea of living on a boat. 我喜欢在船上居住的建议。 He already had an idea for his next novel. 他已经构思好了下一部小说。 Her family expected her to go to college, but she had other ideas. 她的家人希望她上大学,但她另有打算。 The surprise party was Jane's idea. 那次惊喜聚会是简的主意。 It might be an idea (= it would be sensible) to try again later. 稍后再试或许是明智的。 We've been toying with the idea of (= thinking about) getting a dog. 我们一直有意无意地想着弄条狗。 It seemed like a good idea at the time, and then it all went horribly wrong. 那在当时似乎是个好主意,但后来却铸成大错。 The latest big idea is to make women more interested in sport. 最近的流行思想是促进妇女对体育的兴趣。 IMPRESSION 印象 2. [U, sing.] ~ (of sth) a picture or an impression in your mind of what sb / sth is like 印象；概念: The brochure should give you a good idea of the hotel. 这本小册子详细介绍这家旅馆。 I had some idea of what the job would be like. 我对于这份工作有了一些了解。 She doesn't seem to have any idea of what I'm talking about. 她对我所说的似乎一点也不懂。 I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea (= getting the wrong impression about sth). 我不希望任何人有所误会。 An evening at home watching TV is not my idea of a good time. 晚上呆在家里看电视,我不认为是什么赏心乐事。 OPINION 意见 3. [C] ~ (about sth) an opinion or a belief about sth 意见；看法；信念: He has some very strange ideas about education. 他对教育有些非常奇怪的看法。 FEELING 感觉 4. [sing.] ~ (that...) a feeling that sth is possible (认为某事可能发生的)感觉: What gave you the idea that he'd be here? 是什么让你想到他会来这里？ I have a pretty good idea where I left it—I hope I'm right. 我记得很清楚把它落在哪儿了——但愿我是对的。 AIM 目标 5. the idea [sing.] ~ of sth / of doing sth the aim or purpose of sth 目标；意图: You'll soon get the idea (= understand). 你很快就会明白的。 What's the idea of the game? 这个游戏的目的是什么？ ⇨ note at purpose IDIOMS ▪ give sb i'deas | put i'deas into sb's head to give sb hopes about sth that may not be possible or likely; to make sb act or think in an unreasonable way 使某人抱有空想(或做不切实际的事): Who's been putting ideas into his head? 是谁一直在让他想入非非的？ ▪ have no i'dea | not have the faintest, first, etc. idea (informal) used to emphasize that you do not know sth 丝毫不知道: 'What's she talking about?' 'I've no idea.' "她在讲什么？" "我一点也不了解。" He hasn't the faintest idea how to manage people. 他根本不懂得人事管理。 ▪ have the right i'dea to have found a very good or successful way of living, doing sth, etc. 找到好的(或成功的)方式；找对路: He's certainly got the right idea—retiring at 55. 他真的想通了——打算在 55 岁时退休。 ▪ 'that's an idea! (informal) used to reply in a positive way to a suggestion that sb has made 好主意！: Hey, that's an idea! And we could get a band, as well. 嘿,好主意！而且我们还可以找支乐队。 ▪ 'that's the idea! (informal) used to encourage people and to tell them that they are doing sth right 干得好；做得对: That's the idea! You're doing fine. 对啦！你做得不错。 ▪ you have no i'dea... (informal) used to show that sth is hard for sb else to imagine 你难以想像…: You've no idea how much traffic there was tonight. 你难以想像今晚的交通有多拥挤。 ⇨ more at buck v. Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English idea noun 1 plan/suggestion ADJ. bright, brilliant, clever, excellent, good, great, marvellous | valuable, worthwhile | exciting, inspirational, interesting, stimulating | constructive, positive | creative, imaginative, innovative, original | wacky | big The latest big idea is to make women more interested in sport. | alternative Group counselling is used as an alternative idea to punishment. | fresh, new | absurd, bad, mistaken, ridiculous | crackpot, crazy, mad, outlandish, wild | half-baked | ambitious, big, grand He joined the company as an office assistant with big ideas. | grandiose | basic The basic idea is that we all meet up in London. VERB + IDEA have Do you have any ideas for a present for Lara? | come up with, dream up, hit on/upon, produce, think up | draw, get Her ideas are drawn mainly from Chinese art. | contribute, input | moot, put forward | promote, push (forward), sell They managed to push the idea of moving office through the committee. | welcome Most employees welcome the idea of a ban on smoking. | consider, entertain, flirt with, toy with I'm toying with the idea of packing in my job. | mull over, turn over He kept turning the idea of resigning over in his mind. | encourage, generate Brainstorming is a good way of generating ideas. | stifle a system of decision-making that stifles original ideas | reject, scoff at, veto | test, try out | bounce around, bounce off sb, brainstorm, discuss, explore, talk about I met up with a designer to bounce a few ideas around. It's useful to have someone to bounce ideas off. | exchange, pool, share | give sb What gave you the idea to go freelance? | apply, implement, put into action/effect/practice The idea had long been mooted but nothing had been done to put it into practice. | transform, translate How could we translate the idea into business reality? | steal She accused the company of stealing her idea. | impose She always tries to impose her own ideas on the rest of the team. IDEA + VERB come into sb's head/mind, come to sb, flash across/into sb's mind/brain, hit sb, occur to sb, pop into sb's head, strike sb The idea for the invention came to him in the bath. | emerge, evolve, form, grow An idea began to form in his mind. | flow His ideas flowed faster than he could express them. | come from sb/sth, date back from/to sth, originate, start, stem from sth The idea for the Olympics originated with Pierre de Coubertin. | blossom, work (out) The idea has now blossomed into a successful mail-order business. | lead The idea eventually led to the invention of the telephone. | come to nothing PREP. ~ about I have an idea about how to tackle the problem. | ~ for We were asked to suggest ideas for improving efficiency. | ~ of She had the idea of advertising on the Internet. PHRASES be open to ideas I don't know what to do, but I'm open to ideas. | the germ/glimmering of an idea The germ of his idea came from watching a bird make a nest. | have other ideas I wanted to take the week off, but my boss had other ideas. | it might be an idea It might be an idea to leave a note on the door for Mark. 2 thought/impression ADJ. clear, concrete, precise | abstract | theoretical | basic, rough, vague He gave me a rough idea of what was wanted. | key, main The book introduces the key ideas of sociology. | dominant | fixed, inflexible | preconceived | definite, firm, strong She has very definite ideas about what kind of a job she wants. | complex, difficult | simplistic | conventional | traditional | radical, revolutionary | contradictory | erroneous, false, wrong I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea about me. | funny, strange | utopian | romantic People have a romantic idea of the police force. | new-fangled | outdated | not the faintest/foggiest/remotest/slightest (informal) I haven't got the faintest idea what she meant. | artistic, economic, intellectual, moral, musical, philosophical, political, scientific | fascist, feminist, nationalist, socialist VERB + IDEA get They seem to have got the idea that we will be giving them a lift. You'll soon get the idea (= understand). | espouse, have, hold He holds very different ideas to mine about discipline. | develop, form, shape the experiences that shaped her ideas | express | communicate, convey, get across, get over, present, put across The book puts across complex ideas in a way anyone can understand. | demonstrate, explain, expound, illustrate | clarify, formalize, formulate, organize, structure Give careful thought to how to structure your ideas in the essay. | change, reconsider, reshape, revise They had to reconsider their ideas in the light of new evidence. | accept | dismiss, reject | harbour I hope he's not still harbouring ideas about asking me out. | be obsessed with He's obsessed with the idea of getting a motorbike. | relish I don't relish the idea of sharing an office with Tony. IDEA + VERB amuse sb, appeal to sb, please sb The idea of going to his rescue amused her. | catch on, take hold Some students started wearing denim, and the idea caught on. PREP. ~ about She's got some funny ideas about how to motivate staff. | ~ behind The idea behind the ceremony is to keep the gods happy to ensure a good crop. | ~ of Swimming in an icy river is not my idea of fun. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus-11th Edition n. Function: noun what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan) FF1C;that's not my idea of a good timeFF1E; Synonyms: apprehension, conceit, concept, conception, image, impression, intellection, notion, perception, thought Related Words: assumption, belief, conclusion, conviction, estimation, feeling, inclination, judgment, opinion, persuasion, presumption, reaction, reflection, sentiment, view; conjecture, guess, hypothesis, speculation, supposition, surmise, suspicion, theory; caprice, fancy, fantasy, vagary, whim, whimsy; brainstorm, inspiration Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged Search result show the entry is found in: autochthonous idea , or simple idea , or big idea , or adequate idea , or complex idea , or fixed idea , or -idea , or idea manidea \(ˈ)ī|dēə, (ˈ)ī|diə; chiefly in southern US ˈī_dē(ə) or ˈī_di(ə); dial or archaic (ˈ)ī|dē; in NewEng extremely frequent with intrusive r — (ˈ)ī|dēər or (ˈ)ī|di(ə)r\ noun (-s) Etymology: Latin, from Greek, from idein to see — more at wit 1. a. : a presentation of sense, concept, or representation: as (1) Platonism : an archetype or subsistent form : a transcendent universal (2) Aristotelianism : the form-giving cause : form (3) Lockeanism : an immediate object or a compound of immediate objects of sensation or reflection — see complex idea, simple idea (4) Berkeleianism : an impression of sense or imagination; especially : percept (5) Humism : a representation or construct of memory and association as distinguished from direct impression of sense (6) Kantianism : a transcendent but nonempirical concept of reason : noumenon (7) Hegelianism : the highest category : the complete and final product of reason; also : its realization or embodiment — compare absolute b. : an object of a concept 2. a. : a conception or standard of any perfection : ideal b. : a preliminary plan : conception , design ; usually : a plan or purpose of action : project < his idea of going in for law > < a new idea for decorating the house > 3. archaic : a visible representation of a conception (as an abstract perfection) or of a design : a replica of a pattern or archetype : a realized ideal 4. a. obsolete : an image or picture recalled by memory b. : an indefinite or fanciful conception or notion : a figment of the imagination : fancy , supposition , opinion < that is a mere idea of yours > < a head full of absurd ideas > < I've an idea we'll win > 5. : an object of the mind existing in apprehension, conception, or thought : notion , thought , impression < a clear idea of his responsibility > 6. : a product of reflection or mental concentration : a formulated thought or opinion < ideas on a subject > < clearly defined ideas > 7. : whatever is known, believed, or supposed regarding any object < the child's idea of air > 8. : the central or key meaning or the chief end of a particular action or situation < get the idea > — see big idea 9. : a musical figure or theme 10. Christian Science : an image in Mind Synonyms: idea , concept , conception , thought , notion , impression : idea may apply to an image or formulation of something seen or known, of something imagined and visualized, of something vaguely assumed, guessed at, or sensed < practically every American boy who is not tied to his mother's apron strings is going to encounter other boys whose ideas of fighting are very different from his own — Margaret Mead > < success with the steamboat inspired Colonel John Stevens to work on the idea of a steam railroad — American Guide Series: New Jersey > < an earlier paper has reviewed the development during the Middle Ages of the idea that the Kingdom of France had natural frontiers which it was her right, even her duty, to attain — N.J.G.Pounds > concept may indicate a fairly definite mental formulation determined by consideration of instances, although the word readily admits of suggesting foundations differing with individuals < thus the popular concept of what news was came more and more to be formed upon what news was printed — F.L.Mott > < if his concept of the national security he has sworn to defend impels him to dispatch troops into foreign regions and in situations that may involve the United States in war, the sole responsibility is his — Arthur Krock > < the emerging of a fresh concept of architecture needed to produce new forms and revitalize tradition — American Guide Series: Michigan > conception , often interchangeable with concept , may stress the idea of the mental action of imagining and formulating rather than the notion of its result < the conception, building, and profitable sale of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railway, commonly known as the Nickel Plate, was in great measure due to him — K.F.Geiser > < the Malays have a whole system of tabooed and substituted words, based as usual on the conception of all Nature as animate and sensitive — J.G.Frazer > thought is a general term but is likely to imply the result of ratiocination, of thinking, reasoning, or meditating, rather than fancying or imagining < the next 10 years Abbot devoted to the final elaboration of his thought in abstruse technical form in The Syllogistic Philosophy — F.A.Christie > < Adams' first thought was that Palmerston wished a quarrel; his second, that it might be connected with a desire for mediation — W.C.Ford > < there are insights which are spoiled by thought — Lewis Leary b.1906 > notion may suggest a vague half-formed idea not resolved by much thought and analysis < the notion that primitive languages lack the power of abstraction — A.A.Hill > < the notion that history shows a continual progress and especially a progress in the liberation of the individual is amply refuted by many examples — M.R.Cohen > < the British have some queer and quaint notions about Americans — some almost as peculiar as our preconceived ideas about them — Richard Joseph > impression applies to a first notion frankly lacking in analysis, consideration, and thought < when he steps out on the street his first impression is of broad radiating avenues — American Guide Series: Minnesota > < the additional real difficulty of eliminating all possibility of adding subjective impressions to objective findings — W.C.Allee > |
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