In philosophy, ideas are usually taken as mental representational images of some object. (Wikipedia) (See all definitions)
- idea
Sentences with «idea» (usage examples):
- Coworking surrounds part-timers with fellow humans, giving them that much-needed social interaction and an awesome network of people to bounce ideas off of. (thecommondesk.com)
- Many of us like the idea of making extra money. (studentloanhero.com)
- Established in New York City in 2014, Row House was born from the idea that rowing is simply the most efficient low-impact, high-energy, full-body workout for any fitness level that unites, inspires and drives people to dig a little deeper. (entrepreneur.com)
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more)
Idea
Refers to a thought or suggestion as a course of action.
1. Good Idea
Refers to something that is a positive thing to do or a positive thought.
- Waiting to go to the store so late was not a good idea.
- Do you think it’s a good idea to go?
2. Like the Idea
Mean that you think something someone said or did is a good thought or thing.
- I like the idea of doing that.
- I don’t know if I like the idea of you coming home so late.
3. Very Idea
Is used to refer to a specific idea.
- The very idea of going home makes me excited.
- I think the very idea of doing that is crazy.
4. Have no Idea
Is a way to say I don’t know.
- I have no idea what you’re talking about.
- She clearly has no idea what she’s doing.
5. Idea of Being
Refers to the thought of something. This is often used to point out the difference between someone actually wanting or thinking or feeling something and someone just liking the thought of doing, feeling, or thinking something.
In other words, this is used to speak about the thought of something, not the action of physically doing it.
- I love the idea of being able to wake up early, but I just can’t seem to do it.
- The idea of being in love is something a lot of people fall in love with.
6. Have some Idea/ Have any Idea
Refers to having some kind of understanding about something. It can also be used to refer to someone having a thought as to how to handle a situation.
- Do you have any idea what we should do about this man?
- I have some idea of what you’re talking about.
7. Give an Idea
Means to share a thought about how something should be or how something should go.
- Can you please give me an idea as to what you’d like for me to do.
- We need someone to give us an idea, so that we can respond.
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8. Get the Idea
Means that one understands something. This is sometimes used as a way to tell someone that they don’t have to keep explaining, you understand.
- Ok, I get the idea.
- I’d like to get an idea of what you’d like to do with your living room.
9. Idea How
Refers to understanding how something happened.
- I have no idea how we got here.
- Do you have an idea how long this will take?
10. Idea Why
Is a way of saying there is a lack of understanding.
- I have no idea why he’s behaving in that way.
- Do you have any idea why we have to meet so early in the morning?
11. Whole Idea
Refers to understanding something completely.
- I’m trying to understand the whole idea behind what you are saying.
- I don’t understand the whole idea behind having to study history.
12. Basic Idea
Refers to maybe not understanding everything, but understanding something in general terms. One doesn’t necessarily understand every detail, but they understand the general idea.
- Just give me the basic idea, I don’t have time to learn everything.
- He doesn’t really understand the basic idea of what I’m talking about.
13. Big Idea
Refers to something that is an important idea or something that is larger in scope than anything else. It can also refer to the main idea.
- The big idea behind what the mayor is saying sounds very good.
- We need to come up with a big idea if the company is going to have a successful year.
14. Crazy Idea/Wild Idea
Refers to an idea being out of the ordinary, or not what someone would expect. It can be used in a positive and negative way. This idea can be viewed in a postive or negative way.
- I have a crazy idea, but hear me out.
- I’m tired of listening to her and her crazy ideas.
- I have the wildest idea.
- There’s another one of her wild ideas.
15. Ridiculous Idea
Means that an idea is seen in a negative way. It’s similar to a crazy idea, because it’s an unusual idea and not an ordinary idea. The difference is that a ridiculous idea is seen as something completely negative.
- That was a ridiculous idea, I can’t believe you said that.
- There are no ridiculous ideas, all ideas are welcome.
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Collocations for «idea»Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word «idea» in context. WordReference English Collocations © 2023 ideaⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK. n
‘idea‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations): |
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idea noun
1 plan/suggestion
ADJ. bright, brilliant, clever, excellent, good, great, marvellous | valuable, worthwhile | exciting, inspirational, interesting, stimulating | constructive, positive | creative, imaginative, innovative, original | wacky | big The latest big idea is to make women more interested in sport. | alternative Group counselling is used as an alternative idea to punishment. | fresh, new | absurd, bad, mistaken, ridiculous | crackpot, crazy, mad, outlandish, wild | half-baked | ambitious, big, grand He joined the company as an office assistant with big ideas. | grandiose | basic The basic idea is that we all meet up in London.
VERB + IDEA have Do you have any ideas for a present for Lara? | come up with, dream up, hit on/upon, produce, think up | draw, get Her ideas are drawn mainly from Chinese art. | contribute, input | moot, put forward | promote, push (forward), sell They managed to push the idea of moving office through the committee. | welcome Most employees welcome the idea of a ban on smoking. | consider, entertain, flirt with, toy with I’m toying with the idea of packing in my job. | mull over, turn over He kept turning the idea of resigning over in his mind. | encourage, generate Brainstorming is a good way of generating ideas. | stifle a system of decision-making that stifles original ideas | reject, scoff at, veto | test, try out | bounce around, bounce off sb, brainstorm, discuss, explore, talk about I met up with a designer to bounce a few ideas around. It’s useful to have someone to bounce ideas off. | exchange, pool, share | give sb What gave you the idea to go freelance? | apply, implement, put into action/effect/practice The idea had long been mooted but nothing had been done to put it into practice. | transform, translate How could we translate the idea into business reality? | steal She accused the company of stealing her idea. | impose She always tries to impose her own ideas on the rest of the team.
IDEA + VERB come into sb’s head/mind, come to sb, flash across/into sb’s mind/brain, hit sb, occur to sb, pop into sb’s head, strike sb The idea for the invention came to him in the bath. | emerge, evolve, form, grow An idea began to form in his mind. | flow His ideas flowed faster than he could express them. | come from sb/sth, date back from/to sth, originate, start, stem from sth The idea for the Olympics originated with Pierre de Coubertin. | blossom, work (out) The idea has now blossomed into a successful mail-order business. | lead The idea eventually led to the invention of the telephone. | come to nothing
PREP. ~ about I have an idea about how to tackle the problem. | ~ for We were asked to suggest ideas for improving efficiency. | ~ of She had the idea of advertising on the Internet.
PHRASES be open to ideas I don’t know what to do, but I’m open to ideas. | the germ/glimmering of an idea The germ of his idea came from watching a bird make a nest. | have other ideas I wanted to take the week off, but my boss had other ideas. | it might be an idea It might be an idea to leave a note on the door for Mark.
2 thought/impression
ADJ. clear, concrete, precise | abstract | theoretical | basic, rough, vague He gave me a rough idea of what was wanted. | key, main The book introduces the key ideas of sociology. | dominant | fixed, inflexible | preconceived | definite, firm, strong She has very definite ideas about what kind of a job she wants. | complex, difficult | simplistic | conventional | traditional | radical, revolutionary | contradictory | erroneous, false, wrong I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea about me. | funny, strange | utopian | romantic People have a romantic idea of the police force. | new-fangled | outdated | not the faintest/foggiest/remotest/slightest (informal) I haven’t got the faintest idea what she meant. | artistic, economic, intellectual, moral, musical, philosophical, political, scientific | fascist, feminist, nationalist, socialist
VERB + IDEA get They seem to have got the idea that we will be giving them a lift. You’ll soon get the idea (= understand). | espouse, have, hold He holds very different ideas to mine about discipline. | develop, form, shape the experiences that shaped her ideas | express | communicate, convey, get across, get over, present, put across The book puts across complex ideas in a way anyone can understand. | demonstrate, explain, expound, illustrate | clarify, formalize, formulate, organize, structure Give careful thought to how to structure your ideas in the essay. | change, reconsider, reshape, revise They had to reconsider their ideas in the light of new evidence. | accept | dismiss, reject | harbour I hope he’s not still harbouring ideas about asking me out. | be obsessed with He’s obsessed with the idea of getting a motorbike. | relish I don’t relish the idea of sharing an office with Tony.
IDEA + VERB amuse sb, appeal to sb, please sb The idea of going to his rescue amused her. | catch on, take hold Some students started wearing denim, and the idea caught on.
PREP. ~ about She’s got some funny ideas about how to motivate staff. | ~ behind The idea behind the ceremony is to keep the gods happy to ensure a good crop. | ~ of Swimming in an icy river is not my idea of fun.
Phrasal verbs typically used with the word ‘idea’
Read this post if
you want to know…
a) whether you should or you shouldn’t use such
adjectives as ‘creative’, ‘responsible’ and ‘strategic’ in your career profile
or CV
b) who was the first to use brainstorming sessions
c) what arguments against brainstorming are commonly put forward
d) what phrasal verbs collocate naturally with the word ‘idea’
LinkedIn, a business-oriented social networking service, annually publishes a list of words most overused by people in their career profiles and the adjective ‘creative’ is invariably on this list. In 2013 it was the third most overused word after ‘responsible’ and ‘strategic’ and in 2014 it was again in third place this time after ‘motivated’ and ‘passionate’. It is small wonder that so many people searching for a better job are keen to describe themselves as creative. Creativity seems to be the number one skill for the 21st century, when things are changing at a breathtaking pace and well-established rules and sure-fire recipes can no longer guarantee your professional survival.
Yet, the problem plenty of people run into is how to boost their creative energy. Alex Osbourne (1888-1966), co-founder of BBDO, which is now a worldwide advertising agency network, believed that “in order to increase our imaginative potential, we should focus only on quantity. Quality will come later.” In 1939 he set himself the task to increase the number of ideas the employees of his agency could THINK UP and suggested a new way of holding staff meetings which he called brainstorming.
Alex Osbourne formulated four basic rules for brainstorming sessions:
1) no criticism or negative feedback on ideas group members PUT FORWARD
2) the more ideas COME TO them, the better
3) group members should BOUNCE ideas AROUND and try to BUILD ON them
4) the most weird and exaggerated ideas should be encouraged to help people break out of established thinking patterns.
Alex Osbourne’s idea TOOK OFF and is now widely used not only by advertising agencies but also in design firms, financial institutions, think tanks, government offices, classrooms, to name but a few. Yet, there is controversy over the real value of brainstorming. There are two main arguments against it: 1) individuals produce better ideas than groups 2) constructive negative feedback improves the quality of ideas. What do you think: is brainstorming a waste of time or is it a good way of unlocking people’s creative potential?
Look at the phrasal verbs in CAPITALS. All of them can be used to talk about ideas.
a. If you create an idea, you THINK it UP.
b. If you suggest an idea for discussion, you PUT it FORWARD.
c. If an idea enters your mind, it COMES TO you.
d. If you discuss ideas in a group, you BOUNCE or TOSS them AROUND.
e. If you develop or improve an idea, you BUILD ON it.
f. If your idea TAKES OFF, it becomes successful and other people and companies start using it.
Test yourself. Which phrasal verb from the list above (a-f) best completes each of the following sentences*?
1. They like to get together and ____ ideas ____
2. We need to __________ the ideas we have had so far.
3. The idea ____ me when we were on holiday.
4. She’d have to ___________ a good reason for being late.
* sentences come from http://www.macmillandictionary.com/
#alexosbourne #linkedin #careerprofiles #oversusedadjectives #creativity #boostingcreativity #criticismsofbrainstorming #ideaphrasalverbs #readenglish #advancedenglish #practiceenglish #studyenglish #uptodateenglish #rengphrasals #phrasalverbs
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