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v. thought (thôt), think·ing, thinks v.tr. 1. To have or formulate in the mind: Think the happiest thought you can think. 2. a. To reason about or reflect on; ponder: Think how complex language is. Think the matter through. b. To decide by reasoning, reflection, or pondering: thinking what to do. 3. a. To judge or regard; look upon: I think it only fair. b. To believe; suppose: always thought he was right. 4. a. To expect; hope: They thought she'd arrive early. b. To intend: She thinks to defeat the incumbent in the election. 5. a. To call to mind; remember: I can't think what her name was. b. To visualize; imagine: Think what a scene it will be at the reunion. c. To devise or evolve; invent: thought up a plan to get rich quick. 6. To bring into a given condition by mental preoccupation: He thought himself into a panic over the impending examination. 7. To concentrate one's thoughts on; keep as a point of focus: Think victory. v.intr. 1. To exercise the power of reason, as by conceiving ideas, drawing inferences, and using judgment: My cold made it difficult to think. 2. To consider or weigh an idea: They are thinking about moving. 3. a. To bring a thought to mind by using the imagination: No one before had thought of bifocal glasses. b. To recall a thought or an image to mind: She thought of her childhood when she saw the movie. 4. To have a belief, supposition, or opinion: He thinks of himself as a wit. It's later than you think. 5. To have care or consideration: Think first of the ones you love. 6. To use the mind in a certain way: He thinks just like you do—always worrying. adj. Informal Requiring much thought to create or assimilate: a think book. n. Idioms: The act or an instance of deliberate or extended thinking; a meditation. come to think of it Informal When one considers the matter; on reflection: Come to think of it, that road back there was the one we were supposed to take. think aloud/out loud To speak one's thoughts audibly. think better of To change one's mind about; reconsider. think big To plan ambitiously or on a grand scale. think little of To regard as inferior; have a poor opinion of. think nothing of To give little consideration to; regard as routine or usual: thought nothing of a 50-mile trip every day. think twice To weigh something carefully: I'd think twice before spending all that money on clothes. [Middle English thenken, from Old English thencan; see tong- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: think, cerebrate, cogitate, reason, reflect These verbs mean to use the powers of the mind, as in conceiving ideas or drawing inferences: thought before answering; sat in front of the fire cerebrating; cogitates about business problems; reasons clearly; took time to reflect before deciding. |
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