i·de·a (?-d???) n. 1. Something, such as a thought or conception, that is the product of mental activity. 2. An opinion, conviction, or principle: has some strange political ideas. 3. A plan, purpose, or goal: She started school with the idea of becoming a doctor. 4. The gist or significance: The idea of the article is that investing in green technology can save you money in the long run. 5. A sense that something can happen; a notion or expectation: They have this idea that we can just drop what we’re doing and go to the park. 6. Music A theme or motif. 7. Philosophy a. In the philosophy of Plato, a non-physical form or archetype to which beings in phenomenal reality correspond only as imperfect replicas. b. In the philosophy of Kant, a concept of reason that is transcendent but nonempirical. c. In the philosophy of Hegel, absolute truth; the complete and ultimate product of reason. 8. Obsolete A mental image of something remembered. [Middle English, from Latin, from Greek; see weid- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] i·de?a·less adj. Synonyms: idea, thought, notion, concept, conception These nouns refer to what is formed or represented in the mind as the product of mental activity. Idea has the widest range: “Human history is in essence a history of ideas” (H.G. Wells). Thought is distinctively intellectual and stresses contemplation and reasoning: She gathered her thoughts before she spoke. Notion suggests an often intuitive idea or image conceived by the mind: “All that came to mind was a notion of galactic space, of spirals, the Horse Nebula, all of which were distant and mysterious and cold” (Craig Nova). Concept and conception are applied to mental formulations on a broad scale: You seem to have absolutely no concept of time. “Every succeeding scientific discovery makes greater nonsense of old-time conceptions of sovereignty” (Anthony Eden). American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.idea (a??d??) n1. any content of the mind, esp the conscious mind2. the thought of something: the very idea appals me. 3. a mental representation of something: she’s got a good idea of the layout of the factory. 4. the characterization of something in general terms; concept: the idea of a square circle is self-contradictory. 5. an individual’s conception of something: his idea of honesty is not the same as yours and mine. 6. the belief that something is the case: he has the idea that what he’s doing is right. 7. a scheme, intention, plan, etc: here’s my idea for the sales campaign. 8. a vague notion or indication; inkling: he had no idea of what life would be like in Africa. 9. significance or purpose: the idea of the game is to discover the murderer. 10. (Philosophy) philosophy a. a private mental object, regarded as the immediate object of thought or perceptionb. a Platonic Idea or Form11. (Classical Music) music a thematic phrase or figure; motif12. obsolete a mental image13. get ideas to become ambitious, restless, etc14. not one’s idea of not what one regards as (hard work, a holiday, etc)15. that’s an idea that is worth considering16. the very idea! that is preposterous, unreasonable, etc[C16: via Late Latin from Greek: model, pattern, notion, from idein to see] i?dealess adjUsage: It is usually considered correct to say that someone has the idea of doing something, rather than the idea to do it: he had the idea of taking (not the idea to take) a short holidayIdea (a??d??) n (Philosophy) another name for FormCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014i?de?a (a??di ?, a??di?) n. 1. any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity. 2. a thought, conception, or notion. 3. an impression: Give me a general idea of what happened. 4. an opinion, view, or belief. 5. a plan of action; intention: with the idea of becoming an engineer. 6. a purpose or guiding principle: What was the idea of that? 7. a groundless supposition; fantasy. 8. Philos. a. a concept developed by the mind. b. a conception of what is desirable or ought to be; ideal. c. (cap.) Platonism. Also called form. an archetype or pattern of which the individual objects in any natural class are imperfect copies and from which they derive their being. 9. a musical theme or figure. 10. Obs. a. a likeness. b. a mental image. [1400?50; late Middle English idee