think (th ngk)v. thought (thôt), think·ing, thinks v.tr.1. To have or formulate in the mind. 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. To judge or regard; look upon: I think it only fair. 4. To believe; suppose: always thought he was right. 5. a. To expect; hope: They thought she'd arrive early. b. To intend: They thought they'd take their time. 6. To call to mind; remember: I can't think what her name was. 7. To visualize; imagine: Think what a scene it will be at the reunion. 8. To devise or evolve; invent: thought up a plan to get rich quick. 9. To bring into a given condition by mental preoccupation: He thought himself into a panic over the impending examination. 10. To concentrate one's thoughts on: "Think languor" Diana Vreeland. v.intr.1. To exercise the power of reason, as by conceiving ideas, drawing inferences, and using judgment. 2. To weigh or consider an idea: They are thinking about moving. 3. a. To bring a thought to mind by imagination or invention: 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 believe; suppose: 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 dispose the mind in a given way: Do you think so? adj. Informal Requiring much thought to create or assimilate: a think book. n. The act or an instance of deliberate or extended thinking; a meditation. Idioms: 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 Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: think, cerebrate, cogitate, reason, reflect, speculate 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; speculates on what will happen. |