think

/θɪŋk/

/θɪŋk/

Other forms: thought; thinking; thinks

To think is to have an idea, belief, or thought about something. If you think that your parents are unusually strict, it means that you believe that to be true.

The verb think means to reason, consider, or mull over. If you think for a while before you decide whether or not to get in your friend's car, it means that you're contemplating the situation before you act. If you think that people shouldn't eat animals, it means that you hold that opinion. If you think up a new, delicious way to cook broccoli, it means that you've invented or conceived of a great cooking method.

Definitions of think

1. verb

   judge or regard; look upon; judge
   “I think he is very smart”

   “I think that he is her boyfriend”

   synonyms: believe, conceive, consider

   types:

   hold

   remain committed to

   rethink

   change one's mind

   esteem, look on, look upon, perceive, regard as, repute, take to be, think of

   look on as or consider

   feel

   have a feeling or perception about oneself in reaction to someone's behavior or attitude

   consider, reckon, regard, see, view

   deem to be

   expect

   consider reasonable or due

   receive

   regard favorably or with disapproval

   reconsider

   consider again; give new consideration to; usually with a view to changing

   reconsider

   consider again (a bill) that had been voted upon before, with a view to altering it

   include

   consider as part of something

   backpedal

   modify one's opinion, make it less strong

   about-face

   change one's mind and assume the opposite viewpoint

   consider

   regard or treat with consideration, respect, and esteem

   call

   consider or regard as being

   like

   feel about or towards; consider, evaluate, or regard

   relativise, relativize

   consider or treat as relative

   identify

   consider (oneself) as similar to somebody else

   favor, favour

   consider as the favorite

   abstract

   consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically

   reify

   consider an abstract concept to be real

   idealise, idealize

   consider or render as ideal

   deem, hold, take for, view as

   keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view

   esteem, prise, prize, respect, value

   regard highly; think much of

   disesteem, disrespect

   have little or no respect for; hold in contempt

   make

   consider as being

   capitalise, capitalize

   consider expenditures as capital assets rather than expenses

   appreciate, prize, treasure, value

   hold dear

   type of:

   evaluate, judge, pass judgment

   form a critical opinion of
2. verb

   recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
   “I can't think what her last name was”

   synonyms: call back, call up, recall, recollect, remember, retrieve

   types:

   know

   perceive as familiar

   recognise, recognize

   perceive to be the same

   brush up, refresh, review

   refresh one's memory

   identify

   consider to be equal or the same
3. verb

   have or formulate in the mind
   “think good thoughts”

   type of:

   cerebrate, cogitate

   use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments
4. verb

   imagine or visualize
   “Just think--you could be rich one day!”

   “Think what a scene it must have been!”

   type of:

   conceive of, envisage, ideate, imagine

   form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
5. verb

   decide by pondering, reasoning, or reflecting
   “Can you think what to do next?”

   type of:

   cerebrate, cogitate

   use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments
6. verb

   dispose the mind in a certain way
   “Do you really think so?”

   type of:

   believe, conceive, consider

   judge or regard; look upon; judge
7. verb

   be capable of conscious thought
   “Man is the only creature that thinks”
8. verb

   use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments
   “I've been thinking all day and getting nowhere”

   synonyms: cerebrate, cogitate

   types:

   puzzle over

   try to solve

   rationalise, rationalize

   think rationally; employ logic or reason

   philosophise, philosophize

   reason philosophically

   brainstorm

   try to solve a problem by thinking intensely about it

   chew over, contemplate, excogitate, meditate, mull, mull over, muse, ponder, reflect, ruminate, speculate, think over

   reflect deeply on a subject

   reason

   think logically

   conclude, reason, reason out

   decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion

   evaluate, judge, pass judgment

   form a critical opinion of

   contemplate, meditate, study

   think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes

   plan

   make plans for something

   associate, colligate, connect, link, link up, relate, tie in

   make a logical or causal connection

   center, centre, concentrate, focus, pore, rivet

   direct one's attention on something

   devote, give, pay

   dedicate

   think about

   have on one's mind, think about actively

   rove

   (of the mind or thoughts) move or wander from one topic to another; think about in an aimless way

   absorb, engross, engulf, immerse, plunge, soak up, steep

   devote (oneself) fully to

   remember

   exercise, or have the power of, memory

   rationalise away, rationalize away

   substitute a natural for a supernatural explanation of

   premeditate

   think or reflect beforehand or in advance

   theologise, theologize

   make theoretical speculations about theology or discuss theological subjects

   introspect

   reflect on one's own thoughts and feelings

   theorize

   form or construct theories

   theorize

   construct a theory about

   ratiocinate

   reason methodologically and logically

   induce

   reason or establish by induction

   deduce, deduct, derive, infer

   reason by deduction; establish by deduction

   calculate, cipher, compute, cypher, figure, reckon, work out

   make a mathematical calculation or computation

   syllogise, syllogize

   reason by syllogisms

   categorise, categorize

   place into or assign to a category

   grade, order, place, range, rank, rate

   assign a rank or rating to

   stand

   have or maintain a position or stand on an issue

   approve

   judge to be right or commendable; think well of

   disapprove

   consider bad or wrong

   schedule

   plan for an activity or event

   choose

   see fit or proper to act in a certain way; decide to act in a certain way

   prejudge

   judge beforehand, especially without sufficient evidence

   appraise, assess, evaluate, measure, valuate, value

   evaluate or estimate the nature, quality, ability, extent, or significance of

   reappraise

   appraise anew

   bethink

   consider or ponder something carefully

   reject

   refuse to accept or acknowledge

   accept

   consider or hold as true

   believe, conceive, consider

   judge or regard; look upon; judge

   cogitate

   consider carefully and deeply; reflect upon; turn over in one's mind

   chart

   plan in detail

   project, propose

   present for consideration, examination, criticism, etc.

   compose, draw up, frame

   make up plans or basic details for

   plot

   plan secretly, usually something illegal

   scheme

   devise a system or form a scheme for

   designate, destine, intend, specify

   design or destine

   direct, engineer, mastermind, orchestrate, organise, organize

   plan and direct (a complex undertaking)

   lay out

   provide a detailed plan or design

   calculate, count on, estimate, figure, forecast, reckon

   judge to be probable

   interrelate

   place into a mutual relationship

   correlate

   bring into a mutual, complementary, or reciprocal relation

   identify

   conceive of as united or associated

   free-associate

   associate freely

   feel, find

   come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds

   anticipate, expect

   regard something as probable or likely

   recall

   cause one's (or someone else's) thoughts or attention to return from a reverie or digression

   mind

   be concerned with or about something or somebody

   ascribe, assign, attribute, impute

   attribute or credit to

   have in mind, mean, think of

   intend to refer to

   consider, deal, look at, take

   take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

   assign, attribute

   decide as to where something belongs in a scheme

   schedule

   make a schedule; plan the time and place for events

   disapprove, reject

   deem wrong or inappropriate

   adjudge, declare, hold

   declare to be

   critique, review

   appraise critically

   question, wonder

   place in doubt or express doubtful speculation

   speculate

   talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way and with an element of doubt or without sufficient reason to reach a conclusion

   deduce, infer

   conclude by reasoning; in logic

   gather

   conclude from evidence

   extrapolate, generalise, generalize, infer

   draw from specific cases for more general cases

   puzzle

   be uncertain about; think about without fully understanding or being able to decide

   zoom in

   examine closely; focus one's attention on

   consider, study

   give careful consideration to

   hear, listen, take heed

   listen and pay attention

   fail

   judge unacceptable

   pass

   accept or judge as acceptable

   essay, examine, prove, test, try, try out

   put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to
9. verb

   focus one's attention on a certain state
   “Think big”

   “think thin”

   type of:

   center, centre, concentrate, focus, pore, rivet

   direct one's attention on something
10. verb

    ponder; reflect on, or reason about
    “Think the matter through”

    “Think how hard life in Russia must be these days”

    type of:

    cerebrate, cogitate

    use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments
11. noun

    an instance of deliberate thinking
    “I need to give it a good think”

    type of:

    advisement, deliberation, weighing

    careful consideration
12. verb

    expect, believe, or suppose
    “I thought to find her in a bad state”

    “he didn't think to find her in the kitchen”

    synonyms: guess, imagine, opine, reckon, suppose

    types:

    suspect

    hold in suspicion; believe to be guilty

    type of:

    anticipate, expect

    regard something as probable or likely
13. verb

    have in mind as a purpose
    “She didn't think to harm me”

    “We thought to return early that night”

    synonyms: intend, mean

    types:

    design

    intend or have as a purpose

    be after, plan

    have the will and intention to carry out some action

    aim, propose, purport, purpose

    propose or intend

    think out

    consider carefully and rationally

    aim, aspire, draw a bead on, shoot for

    have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal

    go for, hope

    intend with some possibility of fulfilment
14. verb

    bring into a given condition by mental preoccupation
    “She thought herself into a state of panic over the final exam”

    type of:

    alter, change, modify

    cause to change; make different; cause a transformation