Definitions for ideaaɪˈdi ə, aɪˈdiə

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

i•de•a^*aɪˈdi ə, aɪˈdiə(n.)

any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.
a thought, conception, or notion.
an impression:
Give me a general idea of what happened.
an opinion, view, or belief.
a plan of action; intention:
with the idea of becoming an engineer.
a purpose or guiding principle:
What was the idea of that?
a groundless supposition; fantasy.
Philos. a concept developed by the mind. a conception of what is desirable or ought to be; ideal. (cap.) Platonism. an archetype or pattern of which the individual objects in any natural class are imperfect copies and from which they derive their being.
Category: Philosphy
Ref: Also called form. 1 12 3
a musical theme or figure.
Category: Music and Dance
Obs. a likeness. a mental image.

^* Syn: idea , thought , conception , notion refer to a product of mental activity. idea refers to a mental representation that is the product of creative imagination: She had an excellent idea for the party. thought emphasizes the intellectual processes of reasoning, contemplating, reflecting, or recollecting: I welcomed his thoughts on the subject. conception suggests imaginative, creative, and somewhat intricate mental activity: The architect's conception of the building was a glass skyscraper. notion suggests a fleeting, vague, or imperfect thought: I had only a bare notion of how to proceed.Pron: See police.

Origin of idea:

1400–50; late ME idee < MF < LL < Gk idéā form, kind, sort

i•de′a•less(adj.)

Princeton's WordNet

idea, thought(noun)
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
"it was not a good idea"; "the thought never entered my mind"
mind, idea(noun)
your intention; what you intend to do
"he had in mind to see his old teacher"; "the idea of the game is to capture all the pieces"
idea(noun)
a personal view
"he has an idea that we don't like him"
estimate, estimation, approximation, idea(noun)
an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
"an estimate of what it would cost"; "a rough idea how long it would take"
theme, melodic theme, musical theme, idea(noun)
(music) melodic subject of a musical composition
"the theme is announced in the first measures"; "the accompanist picked up the idea and elaborated it"

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

idea(noun)ɪˈdi ə, aɪˈdiə
sth you think of; = thought
I have an idea - let's go to the park.; At first they didn't know what to do. Then Shirley had an idea.
ideaɪˈdi ə, aɪˈdiə
an opinion
His ideas about married life are a little old-fashioned.; her interesting ideas on religion
ideaɪˈdi ə, aɪˈdiə
understanding or knowledge of sth
He has no idea how to get there.; Can you give me a rough idea of what he looks like.

Wiktionary

idea(Noun)
An abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life examples are seen as imperfect approximations; pure essence, as opposed to actual examples.
idea(Noun)
The conception of someone or something as representing a perfect example; an ideal.
idea(Noun)
The form or shape of something; a quintessential aspect or characteristic.
idea(Noun)
An image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory.
The mere idea of you is enough to excite me.
idea(Noun)
More generally, any result of mental activity; a thought, a notion; a way of thinking.
Ideas won't go to jail.u2014A. Whitney Griswold (1952)
idea(Noun)
A conception in the mind of something to be done; a plan for doing something, an intention.
I have an idea of how we might escape.
idea(Noun)
A vague or fanciful notion; a feeling or hunch; an impression.
He had the wild idea that if he leant forward a little, he might be able to touch the mountain-top.
idea(Noun)
A musical theme or melodic subject.

Origin: From idea, from ἰδέα, from εἴδω.

Webster Dictionary

Idea(noun)
the transcript, image, or picture of a visible object, that is formed by the mind; also, a similar image of any object whatever, whether sensible or spiritual
Idea(noun)
a general notion, or a conception formed by generalization
Idea(noun)
hence: Any object apprehended, conceived, or thought of, by the mind; a notion, conception, or thought; the real object that is conceived or thought of
Idea(noun)
a belief, option, or doctrine; a characteristic or controlling principle; as, an essential idea; the idea of development
Idea(noun)
a plan or purpose of action; intention; design
Idea(noun)
a rational conception; the complete conception of an object when thought of in all its essential elements or constituents; the necessary metaphysical or constituent attributes and relations, when conceived in the abstract
Idea(noun)
a fiction object or picture created by the imagination; the same when proposed as a pattern to be copied, or a standard to be reached; one of the archetypes or patterns of created things, conceived by the Platonists to have excited objectively from eternity in the mind of the Deity