What does “idea” mean?
- 1
nouna thought or plan about what to do
Going to the beach was a great idea.
- 2
nounan opinion, belief or understanding of something
I have no idea where he went.
Idea at a glance
- Part of speech
- noun
- CEFR level
- A1 (beginner)
- Pronunciation
- /aɪˈdiə/ · eye-DEE-uh
How to use “idea” correctly
Say “I have no idea”, not “I don’t have idea”; “idea” is countable, so it needs an article or “no”.
Common phrases with “idea”
- have an idea
- good idea
- no idea
- come up with an idea
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- ideal
- idealistic
“idea” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- plan nounA1an idea or set of steps for doing something in the future
- problem nounA1a situation or thing that causes difficulty and needs to be dealt with
- agree verbA1to have the same opinion as someone
- attention nounA2careful thought, listening or looking
- believe verbA1to think that something is true
- chance nounA2the possibility that something will happen
- choice nounA2the act of choosing between two or more things
- choose verbA1to decide which one you want from a group of things or people