idea
Pronounced:
/aɪˈdi:jə/
Function:
nounInflected forms:
plural ideasMeaning:
1 [count] : a thought, plan, or suggestion about what to do ▪ My idea is to study law. ▪ Starting her own business seemed like a good idea at the time, but it turned out badly. ▪ I left with the idea that I'd come back later. = I left with the idea of coming back later. ▪ Whose idea was it to leave so early? ▪ My idea was that if we left early we could beat the crowd. ▪ Buying the car was a bad idea. ▪ I have some ideas for redecorating the room. ▪ He has an idea for a movie. ▪ I'm not sure what to do next. Do you have any ideas? ▪ She's always full of new ideas. ▪ It's a good idea to talk to people who have actually been there. ▪ There's/that's an idea! = There's/that's a good idea! ▪ What's the next big idea in the fashion industry? ▪ Tom has the right idea—while the rest of us are fighting traffic every day, he takes the train to work.
2 [count] : an opinion or belief ▪ That guy has some pretty strange ideas. ▪ “I thought he'd help us.” “What gave you that idea?” ▪ Where did you get that idea? ▪ I thought we could handle this ourselves, but my boss had other ideas. [=my boss did not agree]
3 : something that you imagine or picture in your mind [count] ▪ I formed a good idea of what the place is like by reading about it. ▪ A hamburger and a milkshake isn't exactly my idea of a gourmet meal! [=it is not what I imagine a gourmet meal to be] ▪ A quiet night at home is my idea of a good time. [noncount] ▪ Could you give us some idea of what to expect?
4 [singular] : an understanding of something : knowledge about something ▪ He has a clear idea of his responsibilities. [=he knows what his responsibilities are] ▪ Do you have any idea of what these repairs will cost? ▪ I have no idea what you're talking about. = I don't have the faintest/slightest idea what you're talking about. [=I do not know/understand at all what you're talking about] ▪ “Was it hard?” “You have no idea (how hard it was)!” [=yes, it was very hard] ▪ All right, I get the idea. [=I understand] ▪ I think he made a mistake, but don't get the wrong idea [=don't misunderstand me], I still think he has done a good job overall. ▪ I don't want to give you the wrong idea.
5 the idea : the central meaning or purpose of something ▪ The whole idea [=point, object] of the game is to keep from getting caught. ▪ The idea [=goal, aim] is to get people to attend. ▪ I just don't get/understand the idea behind [=the reason for] this change in the rules. ▪ (informal) Hey! What's the big idea!? [=why are you doing that?]
2 [count] : an opinion or belief ▪ That guy has some pretty strange ideas. ▪ “I thought he'd help us.” “What gave you that idea?” ▪ Where did you get that idea? ▪ I thought we could handle this ourselves, but my boss had other ideas. [=my boss did not agree]
3 : something that you imagine or picture in your mind [count] ▪ I formed a good idea of what the place is like by reading about it. ▪ A hamburger and a milkshake isn't exactly my idea of a gourmet meal! [=it is not what I imagine a gourmet meal to be] ▪ A quiet night at home is my idea of a good time. [noncount] ▪ Could you give us some idea of what to expect?
4 [singular] : an understanding of something : knowledge about something ▪ He has a clear idea of his responsibilities. [=he knows what his responsibilities are] ▪ Do you have any idea of what these repairs will cost? ▪ I have no idea what you're talking about. = I don't have the faintest/slightest idea what you're talking about. [=I do not know/understand at all what you're talking about] ▪ “Was it hard?” “You have no idea (how hard it was)!” [=yes, it was very hard] ▪ All right, I get the idea. [=I understand] ▪ I think he made a mistake, but don't get the wrong idea [=don't misunderstand me], I still think he has done a good job overall. ▪ I don't want to give you the wrong idea.
5 the idea : the central meaning or purpose of something ▪ The whole idea [=point, object] of the game is to keep from getting caught. ▪ The idea [=goal, aim] is to get people to attend. ▪ I just don't get/understand the idea behind [=the reason for] this change in the rules. ▪ (informal) Hey! What's the big idea!? [=why are you doing that?]
give someone ideas or put ideas in/into someone's head
: to cause someone to think about doing something that probably should not be done ▪ Don't go giving him ideas. ▪ Don't put ideas in/into his head by telling him he'd be happier if he'd quit his job.