Language Research

thought · noun

/θɔːt/Full view

Word family

Nouns: thought, thoughtfulness

Adjectives: thoughtful, thoughtless

Adverbs: thoughtfully, thoughtlessly

thought (IDEA)

B1 C an idea or opinion or an image that comes into your mind

Dictionary examples:

Do you have any thoughts about/on where you want to spend Christmas?

The thought of seeing her again filled him with happiness.

If you could let me have your thoughts on that report by Friday, I'd be grateful.

Learner example:

Her thoughts were interrupted by Ben, who asked if she wanted to go for a walk with him. (Preliminary English Test; B1; Russian)

thought (THINKING)

B2 U the activity of thinking, or when you think about something carefully

Dictionary examples:

She sat staring at the picture, deep in thought.

You'll need to give the matter some thought.

Learner example:

I am concerned so please give it some thought. (First Certificate in English; B2; Swedish)

thought (CARE)

C2 no plural when you do something that shows you care about someone

Dictionary example:

Thanks for the card - it was a really kind thought.

Learner example:

She could go to the theatre and to the cinema every weekend, she went for marvellous holidays in the most exotic places, and the greeting cards she sent made our woman more and more angry, rather than thankful for the kind thought. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Italian)

spare a thought for sb

C2 to think about someone who is in a bad situation

Dictionary example:

Spare a thought for all the people who have lost their homes.

Learner example:

At this point, we should spare a thought for those who are not involved in the sport world. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Spanish)

train of thought

C2 a series of connected thoughts or ideas which come or happen one after the other

Dictionary example:

I was interrupted and lost my train of thought.

Learner example:

Stevens's ideas on dignity become very clear if we follow his train of thought through the book and if we examine closely the events which encourage him into further discussion of this issue. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Catalan)