Meaning of idea in English

idea

noun

/aɪˈdɪə/ us

/aɪˈdiː.ə/

idea noun (SUGGESTION)

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A2 [ C ]

a suggestion or plan for doing something:

have an idea I've had an idea - why don't we go to the coast?

good idea "Let's go swimming." "That's a good idea!"

idea for If you have any ideas for what I could buy Jack, let me know.

the idea of That's when I first had the idea of starting (= planned to start) my own business.

I like the idea of living in the countryside but I'm not sure I'd like the reality.

bright idea She's full of bright (= good) ideas.

[ + to infinitive ] It was Kate's idea to hire bikes.

it is a good idea to It's a good idea to take some water with you.

it is a bad idea to I think it's often a bad idea to spend money you don't have.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

an idea

ideaI've got an idea - why don't we ask John for help?
planThe plan is to hire a car when we get there.
thoughtHave you had any thoughts on presents for your mother?
suggestionHave you got any suggestions for improvements?
brainwaveUK I wasn't sure what to do and then I had brainwave - I could ask Anna for help.
brainstormUS She was stuck until she had a brainstorm and the solution came to her.

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Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

a suggestion

suggestionMay I make a suggestion? Keep your receipts for tax reimbursement.
proposalThe proposal for a new stadium has been rejected.
propositionHe wrote to me with a very interesting business proposition.
thoughtI've had a thought about what we might do this summer.
ideaRebecca has a few ideas about how we could improve things.
motionThere is a motion before the assembly to adjourn the meeting.

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It was such a brilliant idea - a real stroke of genius.
I'll mention your ideas to Jacinta.
She has a lot of interesting ideas, but they're not very practical.
He had some crazy idea about turning waste paper into animal food.
It's a good idea to read up on a company before going for an interview.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Ideas, concepts and theories

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idea noun (KNOWLEDGE)

B2 [ S or U ]

an understanding, thought, or picture in your mind:

have any idea of Do you have any idea of what he looks like?

give someone an idea of something Can you give me an idea of the cost (= can you tell me approximately how it costs)?

the idea of I don't like the idea of living so far away from my family.

[ + question word ] I haven't the slightest/faintest idea where they've gone.

pretty good idea why I've got a pretty good idea why they left early.

Synonyms

concept
conception
construct  formal
notion
thought 

have no idea

B1 informal

to not know something:

"Where's Serge?" "I've no idea."

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I hadn't the slightest idea what he was talking about.
I've got a pretty good idea of how to get there.
I've no idea how to set about changing a tyre on a car.
Is that the time? I'd no idea it was so late.
She has a romantic idea of what it's like to be a struggling young artist.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Ideas, concepts and theories

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Knowledge and awareness

idea noun (BELIEF)

B1 [ C ]

a belief or opinion:

idea about We have very different ideas about disciplining children.

[ + that ] Dr Leach puts forward the idea that it is impossible to spoil a child.

I'm not married - where did you get that idea (= what made you believe that)?

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Some people have the idea that national identity will be lost as a result of European integration.
I'm very much against the idea that it is the woman's job to bring up the child.
Do you agree with the idea that violence on television has a harmful effect on children?
Everyone has their own ideas about the best way to bring up children.
Lenin carried Marx's ideas a stage further by putting them into practice.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Opinions, beliefs and points of view

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Ideas, concepts and theories

idea noun (PURPOSE)

C1 [ S ]

a purpose or reason for doing something:

idea of The idea of the game is to get rid of all your cards as soon as you can.

whole idea The whole idea (= only purpose) of advertising is to make people buy things.

idea behind The idea behind the lottery is to raise money for good causes.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Goals and purposes

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Reasons and explanations

Idioms

good idea
someone's idea of something
put ideas into someone's head
what an idea!
you have no idea

(Definition of idea from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

idea | American Dictionary

idea

noun

/ɑɪˈdi·ə/

idea noun (SUGGESTION)

Add to word list Add to word list

[ C ]

a suggestion, thought, or plan:

"Let’s go swimming." "Good idea!"

She’s full of bright ideas.

idea noun (KNOWLEDGE)

[ C/U ]

knowledge or understanding about something:

[ C ] Can you give me a rough idea of the cost (= tell me approximately how much it will cost)?

[ U ] You have no idea what I just said, do you?

idea noun (BELIEF)

[ C ]

a belief about something:

They have some unusual ideas about parenting.

idea noun (PURPOSE)

[ C usually sing ]

a purpose or reason for doing something:

The idea behind the law is to raise money for education.

(Definition of idea from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

idea | Business English

idea

noun

/aɪˈdɪə/ us

Add to word list Add to word list

[ C ]

a suggestion or plan for doing something:

idea about sth The CTO should have ideas about where the company needs to be heading in terms of technology.

come up with/have an idea He came up with the idea of promoting the two products together.

new/fresh/innovative ideas

They had great ideas but lacked the business know-how to turn an idea into a successful product.

[ S ]

the purpose of, or reason for, doing something:

The whole idea of budgeting is to control costs.

(Definition of idea from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of idea

idea

The first chapter presents the ideas necessary to embark on a sociolinguistic study of language, or rather, the study of linguistic choice.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

If we are sufficiently broad-minded, then we can simultaneously entertain different ideas of truth, different models, different views of the world.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In this paper, the effectiveness of espionage law in deterring the misappropriation of ideas in the process of being developed is the main policy instrument.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Like them, it reflects and communicates people's ideas about the world they live in.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In general, the book could have benefitted from better editing, shor ter sentences, and the deletion of repetitive ideas.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In order to clarify these ideas, let us look at the structure and interpretation of a nested snack.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In the analysis, it becomes evident that they have different ideas of and responses to the text.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Other ideological practices less reliant on metapragmatic discourse play a crucial role in linking linguistic forms to ideas of ethno-national belonging.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The paper suggests that the study may provide insight into the schooling of linguistically diverse students in other contexts, and into ideas about equality.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

We will see that there are examples of classroom-based research that attempt to implement these ideas.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

As the complex interactions of the interpersonal mode are being better understood, ideas for working within it more effectively are forthcoming.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Can use the language fluently, accurately and effectively on a wide range of general, academic, vocational or leisure topics, marking clearly the relationships between ideas.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Our goal was to present new ideas or otherwise significantly improved work.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The basic ideas behind the translation are as follows.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

An interesting observation was suggested, relating this method to contemporary ideas of deconstructivism and eclecticism.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with idea

idea

These are words often used in combination with idea.

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abstract idea

The practices are directed in all these cases at concrete, local and regional landscapes, and not so much at the 'historical landscape' as a general, abstract idea.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

bad idea

The bad idea was the mistaken belief that the granularity of laziness should be as fine as possible.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

basic idea

The basic idea behind shuffle is straightforward.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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What is the pronunciation of idea?