think
think
Pronunciation
IPA: /θɪŋk/
Syllable Breakdown:
/θ/: Voiceless dental fricative (think "th" as in "thin")
/ɪ/: Near-close near-front unrounded vowel (short "i" sound)
/ŋ/: Velar nasal (similar to "ng" in "sing")
/k/: Voiceless velar plosive (hard "k" sound)
Word Form Variations
Base Form: think
3rd Person Singular Present Tense: thinks
Present Participle: thinking
Past Tense: thought
Past Participle: thought
For example:
I think about you often.
She thinks I am wrong.
I am thinking about my future.
I thought about you yesterday.
I have thought about this for a long time.
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
Definition: To use one's mind to create thoughts or ideas; to consider or reflect upon something.
Synonyms: ponder, contemplate, deliberate, muse, cogitate, reason, analyze, speculate, imagine, suppose, believe, judge
Antonyms: forget, ignore, neglect, overlook, disregard, dismiss
Definition: To believe or suppose.
Synonyms: believe, suppose, assume, presume, consider, reckon
Antonyms: doubt, disbelieve, distrust
Definition: To intend or plan.
Synonyms: intend, plan, purpose, mean, design, project
Antonyms: forget, neglect, overlook, disregard
Noun
Definition: An act or process of thinking; a thought or idea.
Synonyms: thought, idea, notion, concept, conception, belief, opinion, judgment, reflection, consideration
Antonyms: ignorance, unawareness, forgetfulness
Adjective
Definition: Characterized by careful consideration or reflection.
Synonyms: thoughtful, reflective, contemplative, meditative, introspective
Antonyms: thoughtless, careless, inconsiderate, heedless
Examples of Use
Verb
Definition: To use one's mind to create thoughts or ideas; to consider or reflect upon something.
Synonyms: ponder, contemplate, deliberate, muse, cogitate, reason, analyze, speculate, imagine, suppose, believe, judge
Antonyms: forget, ignore, neglect, overlook, disregard, dismiss
Definition: To believe or suppose.
Synonyms: believe, suppose, assume, presume, consider, reckon
Antonyms: doubt, disbelieve, distrust
Definition: To intend or plan.
Synonyms: intend, plan, purpose, mean, design, project
Antonyms: forget, neglect, overlook, disregard
Noun
Definition: An act or process of thinking; a thought or idea.
Synonyms: thought, idea, notion, concept, conception, belief, opinion, judgment, reflection, consideration
Antonyms: ignorance, unawareness, forgetfulness
Adjective
Definition: Characterized by careful consideration or reflection.
Synonyms: thoughtful, reflective, contemplative, meditative, introspective
Antonyms: thoughtless, careless, inconsiderate, heedless
10 Famous Quotes Using Think
"I think, therefore I am." – René Descartes
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right." – Henry Ford
"Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too." – Voltaire
"The more I think about it, the more I realize that nothing is more artistic than to love people." – Vincent Van Gogh
"To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult of all." – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." – Søren Kierkegaard
"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." – Anne Frank
"Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed." (often paraphrased as: "People don’t think for themselves") – Friedrich Nietzsche
"I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think." – Socrates
"Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy." – Ray Bradbury
Etymology
The word "think" has a long history!
Ancient Roots: It comes from a very old language called Proto-Indo-European, which is like the ancestor of many modern languages. In this ancient tongue, there was a word that meant something like "to think, feel, or know."
Journey Through Time: This word traveled through time and changed a bit as languages evolved. It went from Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, and then into Old English, where it looked something like "þenċan."
Early Meaning: In Old English, "þenċan" meant to "conceive of in the mind, consider." So, even back then, it was about using your mind to understand or figure things out.
Modern "Think": Over centuries, the word has changed a bit in spelling and pronunciation, but the core meaning of using your mind to create thoughts or ideas has stayed the same.
Essentially, "think" has been around for a very long time, and it's a word that reflects the human ability to use our minds to understand the world around us.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Think
Think outside the box: To consider ideas that are unconventional or unorthodox.
Think on your feet: To respond quickly and intelligently to unexpected situations.
Think twice: To reconsider an action or decision carefully.
Deep in thought: Lost in contemplation or reflection.
Food for thought: Something that stimulates reflection or consideration.
To give something a second thought: To reconsider something after initial consideration.
To have second thoughts: To begin to doubt a decision or action after initially making it.
To put two and two together: To figure something out by using logic and reasoning. (Similar to "to think things through")
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of think from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
