thought

thought¹ [θo:t US θo:t]

the past tense and past participle of ↑think ¹

thought ²

thought² W1S1 n

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1¦(something you think about)¦

2¦(ideas/opinions)¦

3¦(careful consideration)¦

4¦(act of thinking)¦

5¦(caring about something)¦

6¦(intention)¦

7¦(way of thinking)¦

8 spare a thought for somebody

9 it's just a thought

10 it's/that's a thought!

11 don't give it another thought

12 it's the thought that counts

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[: Old English; Origin: thoht]

1.) ¦(SOMETHING YOU THINK ABOUT)¦

something that you think of, remember, or realize

= ↑idea

▪ Erika had a sudden thought . 'Why don't you come with me?'

▪ The thought occurred to me that he might not be telling the truth.

▪ A thought struck her and she asked, 'Luke, are you married?'

▪ To be honest, the thought had never crossed my mind .

▪ Children sometimes need help expressing their thoughts and feelings.

▪ Her thoughts turned to Edward, and she remembered what he had said to her.

▪ Of course, the thought that I might not have a job next year is a bit troubling.

▪ Just the thought of more food made her feel sick.

▪ The very thought of going back there filled him with dread.

▪ The fact that this country spends more on its military than on education and health care combined is a sobering thought .

▪ Louis could not bear the thought of losing her.

2.) ¦(IDEAS/OPINIONS)¦

thoughts [plural]

a person's ideas or opinions about something

▪ What are your thoughts, Michael?

thoughts on

▪ Any thoughts on how we should spend the money?

3.) ¦(CAREFUL CONSIDERATION)¦[U]

careful and serious consideration

▪ With more thought and care this would have been a first-class essay.

give sth thought/give thought to sth

(=think carefully about something)

▪ I've been giving your proposal a lot of thought.

▪ Have you given any more thought to going back to school?

4.) ¦(ACT OF THINKING)¦[U]

the act or process of thinking

lost/deep in thought

(=thinking so much that you do not notice what is happening around you)

▪ Derek was staring out of the window, lost in thought.

▪ Piaget's research focused on children's thought processes (=the way their minds work) .

5.) ¦(CARING ABOUT SOMETHING)¦ [U and C]

a feeling of worrying or caring about something

thought for

▪ He went back into the burning building with no thought for his own safety.

▪ Have you no thought for anyone but yourself?

▪ You are always in my thoughts (=used to tell someone that you think and care about them a lot) .

6.) ¦(INTENTION)¦ [U and C]

intention or hope of doing something

thought of doing sth

▪ I had no thought of gaining any personal advantage.

▪ Lucy gave up all thought of finishing the essay that day.

7.) ¦(WAY OF THINKING)¦[U]

a way of thinking that is typical of a particular group, period of history etc

ancient Greek/feminist/18th-century etc thought

▪ Kant's ideas had a strong influence on political thought.

8.) spare a thought for sb

BrE used to tell someone that they should think about someone who is in a worse situation than they are

▪ Spare a thought for those who don't have enough to eat.

9.) it's just a thought

spoken used to say that what you have just said is only a suggestion and you have not thought about it very much

▪ It was just a thought, Duncan. I didn't mean any offence.

10.) it's/that's a thought!

spoken used to say that someone has made a good suggestion

▪ 'Why don't you ask Walter?' 'That's a thought! I'll phone him right away.'

11.) don't give it another thought

spoken used to tell someone not to worry after they have told you they are sorry

12.) it's the thought that counts

spoken used to say that you are grateful for a gift from someone even though it is small or unimportant

→perish the thought! at ↑perish, on second thoughts at ↑second¹ (8)

→school of thought at ↑school¹ (8)

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

have a thought

a thought occurs to you/strikes you/comes to you (=you think of something)

the thought never crossed my mind spoken (=used when saying that you never thought about something - often used humorously )

express your thoughts (=say what you are thinking about)

your thoughts turn to somebody/something (=you start thinking about someone or something)

the thought that

the thought of something

the very thought (=used to emphasize that the idea of something seems very surprising or worrying)

a sobering thought (=a serious and worrying thought)

I cannot bear the thought (of something) (=used to say that you would never want something to happen)

now there's a thought! spoken (=used when an idea seems very funny, interesting, or strange)

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