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| n. 1. The faculty of a human or other animal by which it thinks, perceives, feels, remembers, or desires: studying the relation between the brain and the mind. 2. A person of great mental ability: the great minds of the century. 3. Individual consciousness, memory, or recollection: I'll bear the problem in mind. 4. a. Opinion or sentiment: He changed his mind when he heard all the facts. b. Desire or inclination: She had a mind to spend her vacation in the desert. 5. Focus of thought; attention: I can't keep my mind on work. 6. A healthy mental state; sanity: losing one's mind. 7. The thought processes characteristic of a person or group; psychological makeup: the criminal mind; the public mind. 8. Philosophy The phenomena of intelligence, cognition, or consciousness, regarded as a material or immaterial aspect of reality. v. mind·ed, mind·ing, minds v. tr. 1. To pay attention to: Mind closely what I tell you. 2. To be careful about: Mind the icy sidewalk! 3. To heed in order to obey: The children minded their babysitter. 4. To take care or charge of; look after: We minded the children while their parents went out. See Synonyms at tend2. 5. a. To be concerned or annoyed by; care: They don't mind that their guests are arriving late. b. To object to; dislike: I don't mind doing the chores when I don't feel rushed. 6. Regional To bring (an object or idea) to mind; remember. 7. a. To become aware of; notice. b. Upper Southern US To have in mind as a goal or purpose; intend. v. intr. Idioms: 1. To take notice; give heed: The back door tends to slam in the wind, mind. 2. To behave obediently: I don't want to go shopping if the children won't mind. 3. To be concerned or troubled; care: “Not minding about bad food has become a national obsession” (Times Literary Supplement). 4. To be cautious or careful: You'll slip on the ice if you don't mind. a mind of (one's) own A capacity or inclination to think or act independently: a reporter with a mind of her own. a mind of its own A tendency to be unresponsive to human will: The car had a mind of its own and seemed to start only when it felt like it. be of one mind To be in agreement about something. be of two minds To have mixed feelings or be undecided about something. bring (or call)to mind 1. To remember (something): tried to bring to mind their happy times together. 2. To cause (something) to be remembered or thought of; evoke: “[The county's] flight from creditors brings to mind a restaurant diner who declines to pay for a meal because he overate” (Roger Lowenstein). “a voice that calls to mind a flower wavering in the breeze” (Neil Strauss). never mind Used to tell someone not to be concerned or worried. [Middle English minde, from Old English gemynd; see men-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] minder n. |
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