- [countable] a plan, thought or suggestion, especially about what to do in a particular situation
- It would be a good idea to call before we leave.
- That's a great idea!
- I’ve had a brilliant idea!
- I knew this was a bad idea.
- The party's latest big idea is to create a Centre for Teaching Excellence.
- The surprise party was Jane's idea.
- idea for something He already had an idea for his next novel.
- We’re having a meeting to try to come up with ideas for fundraising.
- idea of something The idea of a new museum was first discussed two years ago.
- idea of doing something I like the idea of living on a boat.
- We've been toying with the idea of (= thinking about) getting a dog.
- Her family expected her to go to college, but she had other ideas.
- I don't know what to do, but I'm open to ideas.
- It might be an idea (= it would be sensible) to try again later.
- It seemed like a good idea at the time, and then it all went horribly wrong.
- Ben is the ideas man and the others do the day-to-day work.
- (North American English usually) Ben is the idea man.
Extra ExamplesTopics Suggestions and advicea1- Brainstorming is a good way of generating ideas.
- We're always looking for new ideas.
- Do you have any ideas for a present for Lara?
- Family therapy is used as an alternative idea to medication.
- Give careful thought to how to structure your ideas in the essay.
- Group counselling is used as an alternative idea to punishment.
- He joined the company as an office assistant with big ideas.
- She kept turning the idea of resigning over in her mind.
- He's obsessed with the idea of getting a motorbike.
- Her ideas are drawn mainly from Chinese art.
- His ideas flowed faster than he could express them.
- How could we translate the idea into business reality?
- I have an idea about how to tackle the problem.
- I hope he's not still harbouring ideas about asking me out.
- I met up with a designer to bounce a few ideas around.
- I think the whole idea is ridiculous.
- I wanted to put the idea out there.
- I wanted to take the week off, but my boss had other ideas.
- I'm toying with the idea of leaving my job.
- It might be an idea to leave a note on the door for Marcos.
- It was a struggle to get our ideas across.
- It's useful to have someone to bounce ideas off.
- The study found that 47 per cent of Britons would not welcome the idea of a cashless society.
- She accused the company of stealing her idea.
- He had the idea of advertising on social media.
- Some people started recycling, and the idea caught on.
- Some students started wearing denim, and the idea caught on.
- That idea didn't work out so well.
- The book introduces the key ideas of sociology.
- The book puts across complex ideas in a way anyone can understand.
- The germ of his idea came from watching a bird make a nest.
- The idea behind the ceremony is to keep the gods happy to ensure a good crop.
- The idea eventually led to the invention of the telephone.
- The idea for the Olympics originated with Pierre de Coubertin.
- The idea for the invention came to him in the bath.
- The idea had long been mooted but nothing had been done to put it into practice.
- The idea has now blossomed into a successful mail-order business.
- The movie is based on a simple idea, but a powerful one.
- They managed to push the idea of expanding through the committee.
- We were asked to suggest ideas for improving efficiency.
- What gave you the idea to go freelance?
- a system of decision-making that stifles original ideas
- He's definitely an ideas person.
- I'd like to explore this idea in a bit more detail.
- I've got a good idea.
- It seemed like a good idea at the time.
- My original idea was to use amateur actors.
- She's always full of bright ideas.
- That's a brilliant idea!
- The basic idea is that we all meet up in London.
- We need to have a meeting in order to bounce a few ideas around.
- Who on earth came up with that idea?
- It's a great forum for sharing ideas.
- You need to support your ideas with concrete examples.
- Let's develop this idea a little further.
- The conference is an opportunity for an exchange of ideas.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bright
- brilliant
- clever
- …
- have
- come up with
- dream up
- …
- come into somebody’s brain
- come into somebody’s head
- come into somebody’s mind
- …
- idea about
- idea for
- idea of
- …
- be open to ideas
- the germ of an idea
- have other ideas
- …
- [uncountable, singular] idea (of something) a picture or an impression in your mind of what somebody/something is like
- The brochure should give you a good idea of the hotel.
- I had some idea of what the job would be like.
- This film changed the very idea of what an outer space movie could be.
- An evening at home watching TV is not my idea of a good time.
- If this is your idea of a joke, then I don’t find it very funny.
- I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea (= getting the wrong impression about something).
Extra Examples- I had an idea of where it might be.
- He gave me a rough idea of what was wanted.
- Swimming in an icy river is not my idea of fun.
- The idea of going to his rescue amused her.
- They seem to have got the idea that we will be giving them a lift.
- I don't relish the idea of sharing an office with Tony.
- People have a romantic idea of the police force.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clear
- concrete
- precise
- …
- get
- espouse
- have
- …
- amuse somebody
- appeal to somebody
- please somebody
- …
- idea about
- idea behind
- idea of
- …
- [countable] an opinion or a belief about something
- the experiences that shaped her ideas
- ideas about something He has some very strange ideas about education.
- ideas on something Her ideas on the family are pretty old-fashioned.
- ideas of something These photographs challenge conventional ideas of beauty.
- idea that… She rejects the idea that product quality has suffered.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumenta2- They had to reconsider their ideas in the light of new evidence.
- He has some funny ideas about how to motivate staff.
- She has very definite ideas about what kind of a job she wants.
- He holds very different ideas to mine about discipline.
- She always tries to impose her own ideas on the rest of the team.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clear
- concrete
- precise
- …
- get
- espouse
- have
- …
- amuse somebody
- appeal to somebody
- please somebody
- …
- idea about
- idea behind
- idea of
- …
- [singular] a feeling that something is possible or is true
- Where on earth did you get that idea?
- idea that… What gave you the idea that he'd be here?
- idea where, who, etc… I have a pretty good idea where I left it—I hope I'm right.
Extra Examples- I have a pretty good idea who might have said that.
- The idea never crossed my mind.
- The idea that I was only interested in making money is ludicrous.
- The idea that she was involved in any way is absolutely ridiculous.
- Whatever gave you that idea?
- the idea[singular] the aim or purpose of something
- You'll soon get the idea (= understand).
- idea of something What's the idea of the game?
- idea of doing something The whole idea of going was so that we could meet her new boyfriend.
- with the idea of doing something They buy other people's tickets with the idea of reselling them.
Synonyms purposepurposeaim ▪ intention ▪ plan ▪ point ▪ ideaThese are all words for talking about what somebody/something intends to do or achieve.purpose what something is supposed to achieve; what somebody is trying to achieve:- Our campaign’s main purpose is to raise money.
- She went to London with the aim of finding a job.
- Our main aim is to increase sales in Europe.
- I have no intention of going to the wedding.
- She’s full of good intentions but they rarely work out.
- There are no plans to build new offices.
- What’s the point of all this violence?
- The point of the lesson is to compare the two countries.
- The whole idea of going was so that we could meet her new boyfriend.
- What’s the idea behind this?
- with the purpose/aim/intention/idea of doing something
- somebody’s intention/plan to do something
- to have a(n) purpose/aim/intention/plan/point
- to achieve/fulfil a(n) purpose/aim
plan/thought
impression
opinion
feeling
aim
Word Originlate Middle English (as a term in Platonic philosophy): via Latin from Greek idea ‘form, pattern’, from the base of idein ‘to see’.
Idioms
See idea in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee idea in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbuck your ideas up
give somebody ideas | put ideas into somebody’s head
have no idea | not have the faintest, first, etc. idea
- (informal) used to emphasize that you do not know something
- ‘What's she talking about?’ ‘I've no idea.’
- He hasn't the faintest idea how to manage people.
- I had no idea she’d had such a difficult life.
- I don’t have any idea where he is.
- She doesn't seem to have any idea of what I'm talking about.
- I haven't got the faintest idea what she meant.
- He hadn't had the slightest idea about what had been going on.
have the right idea
- to have found a very good or successful way of living, doing something, etc.
- He's certainly got the right idea—retiring at 55.
- The party had the right idea, but failed to win over the voters.
that’s an idea!
that’s the idea!
you have no idea…
Check pronunciation:
idea
