📒 a plan, thought or suggestion, especially about what to do in a particular situation
- It would be a good idea to call before we leave.
- That's a great idea!
- I’ve had a brilliant idea!
📒 a picture or an impression in your mind of what somebody/something is like
- The brochure should give you a good idea of the hotel.
- I had some idea of what the job would be like.
- This film changed the very idea of what an outer space movie could be.
📒 an opinion or a belief about something
- the experiences that shaped her ideas
- ideas about something He has some very strange ideas about education.
- ideas on something Her ideas on the family are pretty old-fashioned.
📒 a feeling that something is possible or is true
- Where on earth did you get that idea?
- idea that… What gave you the idea that he'd be here?
- idea where, who, etc… I have a pretty good idea where I left it—I hope I'm right.
📒 the aim or purpose of something
- You'll soon get the idea (= understand).
- idea of something What's the idea of the game?
- idea of doing something The whole idea of going was so that we could meet her new boyfriend.
📒 to start behaving in a more acceptable way, so that work gets done better, etc.
📒 to give somebody hopes about something that may not be possible or likely; to make somebody act or think in an unreasonable way
- Who's been putting ideas into his head?
📒 used to emphasize that you do not know something
- ‘What's she talking about?’ ‘I've no idea.’
- He hasn't the faintest idea how to manage people.
- I had no idea she’d had such a difficult life.
📒 to have found a very good or successful way of living, doing something, etc.
- He's certainly got the right idea—retiring at 55.
- The party had the right idea, but failed to win over the voters.
📒 used to reply in a positive way to a suggestion that somebody has made
- Hey, that's an idea! And we could get a band, as well.
📒 used to encourage people and to tell them that they are doing something right
- That's the idea! You're doing fine.
📒 used to show that something is hard for somebody else to imagine
- You've no idea how much traffic there was tonight.