word-vault

{ "term": "idea", "partOfSpeech": "noun", "ox3000": true, "cefr": "a1", "definitions": [ { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "a plan, thought or suggestion, especially about what to do in a particular situation", "sensetop": "idea for somethingidea of somethingidea of doing something", "labels": "(North American English usually)", "cefr": "a1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "It would be **a good idea** to call before we leave." }, { "text": "That's a **great idea**!" }, { "text": "I’ve had a brilliant idea!" }, { "text": "I knew this was a **bad idea**." }, { "text": "The party's latest **big idea** is to create a Centre for Teaching Excellence." }, { "text": "The surprise party was Jane's idea." }, { "text": "He already **had an idea** for his next novel.", "contextForm": "idea for something" }, { "text": "We’re having a meeting to try to come up with ideas for fundraising." }, { "text": "The idea of a new museum was first discussed two years ago.", "contextForm": "idea of something" }, { "text": "I **like the idea** of living on a boat.", "contextForm": "idea of doing something" }, { "text": "We've been **toying with the idea of** *(= thinking about)* getting a dog." }, { "text": "Her family expected her to go to college, but she had **other ideas**." }, { "text": "I don't know what to do, but I'm **open to ideas**." }, { "text": "**It might be an idea** *(= it would be sensible)* to try again later." }, { "text": "**It seemed like a good idea at the time**, and then it all went horribly wrong." }, { "text": "Ben is the **ideas man** and the others do the day-to-day work." }, { "text": "Ben is the **idea man**." }, { "text": "Brainstorming is a good way of generating ideas." }, { "text": "We're always looking for new ideas." }, { "text": "Do you have any ideas for a present for Lara?" }, { "text": "Family therapy is used as an alternative idea to medication." }, { "text": "Give careful thought to how to structure your ideas in the essay." }, { "text": "Group counselling is used as an alternative idea to punishment." }, { "text": "He joined the company as an office assistant with big ideas." }, { "text": "She kept turning the idea of resigning over in her mind." }, { "text": "He's obsessed with the idea of getting a motorbike." }, { "text": "Her ideas are drawn mainly from Chinese art." }, { "text": "His ideas flowed faster than he could express them." }, { "text": "How could we translate the idea into business reality?" }, { "text": "I have an idea about how to tackle the problem." }, { "text": "I hope he's not still harbouring ideas about asking me out." }, { "text": "I met up with a designer to bounce a few ideas around." }, { "text": "I think the whole idea is ridiculous." }, { "text": "I wanted to put the idea out there." }, { "text": "I wanted to take the week off, but my boss had other ideas." }, { "text": "I'm toying with the idea of leaving my job." }, { "text": "It might be an idea to leave a note on the door for Marcos." }, { "text": "It was a struggle to get our ideas across." }, { "text": "It's useful to have someone to bounce ideas off." }, { "text": "The study found that 47 per cent of Britons would not welcome the idea of a cashless society." }, { "text": "She accused the company of stealing her idea." }, { "text": "He had the idea of advertising on social media." }, { "text": "Some people started recycling, and the idea caught on." }, { "text": "Some students started wearing denim, and the idea caught on." }, { "text": "That idea didn't work out so well." }, { "text": "The book introduces the key ideas of sociology." }, { "text": "The book puts across complex ideas in a way anyone can understand." }, { "text": "The germ of his idea came from watching a bird make a nest." }, { "text": "The idea behind the ceremony is to keep the gods happy to ensure a good crop." }, { "text": "The idea eventually led to the invention of the telephone." }, { "text": "The idea for the Olympics originated with Pierre de Coubertin." }, { "text": "The idea for the invention came to him in the bath." }, { "text": "The idea had long been mooted but nothing had been done to put it into practice." }, { "text": "The idea has now blossomed into a successful mail-order business." }, { "text": "The movie is based on a simple idea, but a powerful one." }, { "text": "They managed to push the idea of expanding through the committee." }, { "text": "We were asked to suggest ideas for improving efficiency." }, { "text": "What gave you the idea to go freelance?" }, { "text": "a system of decision-making that stifles original ideas" }, { "text": "He's definitely an ideas person." }, { "text": "I'd like to explore this idea in a bit more detail." }, { "text": "I've got a good idea." }, { "text": "It seemed like a good idea at the time." }, { "text": "My original idea was to use amateur actors." }, { "text": "She's always full of bright ideas." }, { "text": "That's a brilliant idea!" }, { "text": "The basic idea is that we all meet up in London." }, { "text": "We need to have a meeting in order to bounce a few ideas around." }, { "text": "Who on earth came up with that idea?" }, { "text": "It's a great forum for sharing ideas." }, { "text": "You need to support your ideas with concrete examples." }, { "text": "Let's develop this idea a little further." }, { "text": "The conference is an opportunity for an exchange of ideas." } ], "topics": ["Suggestions and advice"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["bright", "brilliant", "clever"], "verb + idea": ["have", "come up with", "dream up"], "idea + verb": [ "come into somebody’s brain", "come into somebody’s head", "come into somebody’s mind" ], "preposition": ["idea about", "idea for", "idea of"], "phrases": [ "be open to ideas", "the germ of an idea", "have other ideas" ] } }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "a picture or an impression in your mind of what somebody/something is like", "sensetop": "idea (of something)", "cefr": "a2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "The brochure should give you **a good idea of** the hotel." }, { "text": "I had **some idea of** what the job would be like." }, { "text": "This film changed the **very idea** of what an outer space movie could be." }, { "text": "An evening at home watching TV is not my idea of a good time." }, { "text": "If this is your idea of a joke, then I don’t find it very funny." }, { "text": "I don't want anyone **getting the wrong idea** *(= getting the wrong impression about something)*." }, { "text": "I had an idea of where it might be." }, { "text": "He gave me a rough idea of what was wanted." }, { "text": "Swimming in an icy river is not my idea of fun." }, { "text": "The idea of going to his rescue amused her." }, { "text": "They seem to have got the idea that we will be giving them a lift." }, { "text": "I don't relish the idea of sharing an office with Tony." }, { "text": "People have a romantic idea of the police force." } ], "collocations": { "adjective": ["clear", "concrete", "precise"], "verb + idea": ["get", "espouse", "have"], "idea + verb": [ "amuse somebody", "appeal to somebody", "please somebody" ], "preposition": ["idea about", "idea behind", "idea of"] } }, { "senseNumber": 3, "definition": "an opinion or a belief about something", "sensetop": "ideas about somethingideas on somethingideas of somethingidea that…", "cefr": "a2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "the experiences that shaped her ideas" }, { "text": "He has some very strange ideas about education.", "contextForm": "ideas about something" }, { "text": "Her ideas on the family are pretty old-fashioned.", "contextForm": "ideas on something" }, { "text": "These photographs challenge conventional ideas of beauty.", "contextForm": "ideas of something" }, { "text": "She rejects the idea that product quality has suffered.", "contextForm": "idea that…" }, { "text": "They had to reconsider their ideas in the light of new evidence." }, { "text": "He has some funny ideas about how to motivate staff." }, { "text": "She has very definite ideas about what kind of a job she wants." }, { "text": "He holds very different ideas to mine about discipline." }, { "text": "She always tries to impose her own ideas on the rest of the team." } ], "topics": ["Opinion and argument"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["clear", "concrete", "precise"], "verb + idea": ["get", "espouse", "have"], "idea + verb": [ "amuse somebody", "appeal to somebody", "please somebody" ], "preposition": ["idea about", "idea behind", "idea of"] } }, { "senseNumber": 4, "definition": "a feeling that something is possible or is true", "sensetop": "idea that…idea where, who, etc…", "cefr": "a2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "Where on earth did you **get that idea**?" }, { "text": "What **gave you the idea** that he'd be here?", "contextForm": "idea that…" }, { "text": "I have a pretty **good idea** where I left it—I hope I'm right.", "contextForm": "idea where, who, etc…" }, { "text": "I have a pretty good idea who might have said that." }, { "text": "The idea never crossed my mind." }, { "text": "The idea that I was only interested in making money is ludicrous." }, { "text": "The idea that she was involved in any way is absolutely ridiculous." }, { "text": "Whatever gave you that idea?" } ] }, { "senseNumber": 5, "definition": "the aim or purpose of something", "sensetop": "idea of somethingidea of doing somethingwith the idea of doing something", "cefr": "b1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "You'll soon **get the idea** *(= understand)*." }, { "text": "**What's the idea** of the game?", "contextForm": "idea of something" }, { "text": "The **whole idea** of going was so that we could meet her new boyfriend.", "contextForm": "idea of doing something" }, { "text": "They buy other people's tickets with the idea of reselling them.", "contextForm": "with the idea of doing something" } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to start behaving in a more acceptable way, so that work gets done better, etc.", "labels": "(British English, informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to give somebody hopes about something that may not be possible or likely; to make somebody act or think in an unreasonable way", "examples": [ { "text": "Who's been putting ideas into his head?" } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used to emphasize that you do not know something", "labels": "(informal)", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "‘What's she talking about?’ ‘I've no idea.’" }, { "text": "He hasn't the faintest idea how to manage people." }, { "text": "I had no idea she’d had such a difficult life." }, { "text": "I don’t have any idea where he is." }, { "text": "She doesn't seem to have any idea of what I'm talking about." }, { "text": "I haven't got the faintest idea what she meant." }, { "text": "He hadn't had the slightest idea about what had been going on." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to have found a very good or successful way of living, doing something, etc.", "examples": [ { "text": "He's certainly got the right idea—retiring at 55." }, { "text": "The party had the right idea, but failed to win over the voters." } ], "topics": ["Success"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used to reply in a positive way to a suggestion that somebody has made", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "Hey, that's an idea! And we could get a band, as well." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used to encourage people and to tell them that they are doing something right", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "That's the idea! You're doing fine." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used to show that something is hard for somebody else to imagine", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "You've no idea how much traffic there was tonight." } ] } ], "pronunciations": { "uk": [ { "pronunciation": "/aɪˈdɪə/", "audio": "id/idea/idea__gb_1.mp3" } ], "us": [ { "pronunciation": "/aɪˈdiːə/", "audio": "id/idea/idea__us_2.mp3" } ] }, "wordOrigin": "late Middle English (as a term in Platonic philosophy): via Latin from Greek idea ‘form, pattern’, from the base of idein ‘to see’." }