50 Idioms for Thinking With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Thinking
1. Use your head
Meaning: Think carefully or use your brain
In a Sentence: Use your head before answering the math question. / I told my brother to use his head before jumping into the cold pool.
Other Ways to Say: Think smart / Be careful / Think it through
2. Pick your brain
Meaning: Ask someone for ideas or advice
In a Sentence: Can I pick your brain about my science project? / I picked my cousin’s brain before writing my report.
Other Ways to Say: Ask for help / Get advice / Talk about ideas
3. Rack your brain
Meaning: Think very hard to remember or figure something out
In a Sentence: I racked my brain trying to remember her name.
Other Ways to Say: Struggle to remember / Think hard
4. A lot on your mind
Meaning: Thinking about many things
In a Sentence: I couldn’t focus because I had a lot on my mind.
Other Ways to Say: Distracted / Preoccupied
5. Food for thought
Meaning: Something worth thinking about
In a Sentence: His advice gave me food for thought.
Other Ways to Say: Worth considering / Interesting idea
6. A penny for your thoughts
Meaning: Asking what someone is thinking
In a Sentence: You’re so quiet—penny for your thoughts?
Other Ways to Say: What’s on your mind? / Tell me what you’re thinking
7. Cross your mind
Meaning: A thought that briefly occurs
In a Sentence: It never crossed my mind that I could win.
Other Ways to Say: Occur to me / Think of
8. In two minds
Meaning: Unsure or thinking between two options
In a Sentence: I’m in two minds about going to the party.
Other Ways to Say: Undecided / Torn
9. Think outside the box
Meaning: Think in a creative or unusual way
In a Sentence: We need to think outside the box to solve this problem.
Other Ways to Say: Be creative / Think differently
10. Let me sleep on it
Meaning: Think more before deciding
In a Sentence: I’m not sure—I need to sleep on it.
Other Ways to Say: Decide later / Think it over
11. Beats me
Meaning: I don’t know or haven’t thought about it
In a Sentence: What’s the answer? Beats me!
Other Ways to Say: No idea / I don’t know
12. On second thought
Meaning: After thinking again
In a Sentence: On second thought, I’ll stay home tonight.
Other Ways to Say: Changed my mind / Reconsidered
13. Keep in mind
Meaning: Remember something while thinking
In a Sentence: Keep in mind the rules while you play.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t forget / Consider this
14. A brainwave
Meaning: A sudden smart idea
In a Sentence: I had a brainwave about how to fix the game.
Other Ways to Say: Lightbulb moment / Clever thought
15. Think twice
Meaning: Think again carefully
In a Sentence: Think twice before saying something mean.
Other Ways to Say: Be cautious / Reflect
16. Lose your train of thought
Meaning: Forget what you were thinking
In a Sentence: I lost my train of thought mid-sentence.
Other Ways to Say: Got distracted / Forgot what I was saying
17. In deep thought
Meaning: Thinking hard or seriously
In a Sentence: She was in deep thought during the movie.
Other Ways to Say: Really focused / Mentally occupied
18. A thinking cap
Meaning: Imaginative or focused thinking
In a Sentence: Put on your thinking cap and solve this riddle.
Other Ways to Say: Get serious / Think hard
19. Running through my mind
Meaning: Constantly thinking about something
In a Sentence: The question kept running through my mind.
Other Ways to Say: Stuck in my head / I keep thinking about it
20. Off the top of my head
Meaning: Without deep thinking or checking
In a Sentence: Off the top of my head, I’d say ten people came.
Other Ways to Say: Rough guess / Quick answer
21. Weigh the pros and cons
Meaning: Think about good and bad sides
In a Sentence: I’m weighing the pros and cons before buying the bike.
Other Ways to Say: Evaluate / Consider both sides
22. Go over in your head
Meaning: Re-think something mentally
In a Sentence: I went over the speech in my head before talking.
Other Ways to Say: Mentally review / Think it through
23. Have second thoughts
Meaning: Doubt or rethink a decision
In a Sentence: I’m having second thoughts about quitting the team.
Other Ways to Say: Reconsider / Not sure now
24. Think better of it
Meaning: Decide not to do something
In a Sentence: I was going to yell, but I thought better of it.
Other Ways to Say: Changed my mind / Reconsidered
25. At the back of your mind
Meaning: Always slightly aware of something
In a Sentence: At the back of my mind, I knew it wouldn’t work.
Other Ways to Say: Lingering thought / Subconscious
26. Draw a blank
Meaning: Can’t remember or think of something
In a Sentence: I drew a blank when asked my password.
Other Ways to Say: Forget / Can’t recall
27. Mind goes blank
Meaning: Suddenly can’t think of anything
In a Sentence: My mind went blank during the spelling test.
Other Ways to Say: Forgot / No ideas
28. Get it off your mind
Meaning: Stop thinking about it
In a Sentence: I talked to mom to get it off my mind.
Other Ways to Say: Clear your head / Let go
29. Mull over
Meaning: Think carefully over time
In a Sentence: I’m mulling over which class to take.
Other Ways to Say: Consider / Reflect
30. Turn it over in your mind
Meaning: Think about something repeatedly
In a Sentence: I kept turning her words over in my mind.
Other Ways to Say: Reflect / Reconsider
31. Brainstorm
Meaning: Think of lots of ideas quickly
In a Sentence: Let’s brainstorm for our school project.
Other Ways to Say: Think together / Idea sharing
32. Think it over
Meaning: Consider carefully
In a Sentence: I need time to think it over.
Other Ways to Say: Reflect / Take your time
33. The thought crossed my mind
Meaning: A brief idea
In a Sentence: The thought crossed my mind to call you.
Other Ways to Say: Briefly considered / Momentary thought
34. Chew it over
Meaning: Think slowly and carefully
In a Sentence: I’ll chew it over before deciding.
Other Ways to Say: Reflect / Ponder
35. Let it sink in
Meaning: Take time to understand something
In a Sentence: The news took a while to sink in.
Other Ways to Say: Process / Realize
36. Weigh in
Meaning: Share your thoughts
In a Sentence: Can you weigh in on this idea?
Other Ways to Say: Give input / Share opinion
37. Sleep on it
Meaning: Wait and think more before deciding
In a Sentence: I’ll sleep on it before answering.
Other Ways to Say: Decide tomorrow / Take your time
38. Give it some thought
Meaning: Think about something
In a Sentence: I’ll give it some thought before saying yes.
Other Ways to Say: Consider / Reflect
39. Toss it around
Meaning: Discuss or think with others
In a Sentence: We tossed the idea around during lunch.
Other Ways to Say: Brainstorm / Talk it out
40. Think on your feet
Meaning: Think quickly in a tough situation
In a Sentence: You have to think on your feet in a quiz show.
Other Ways to Say: Quick thinking / Instant decisions
41. Get your head around it
Meaning: Understand something difficult
In a Sentence: I can’t get my head around this math problem.
Other Ways to Say: Understand / Make sense of it
42. Not think straight
Meaning: Confused or upset thinking
In a Sentence: I was so tired I couldn’t think straight.
Other Ways to Say: Not clear-headed / Confused
43. Piece it together
Meaning: Understand by connecting ideas
In a Sentence: I pieced together the puzzle clues slowly.
Other Ways to Say: Figure out / Solve
44. Ponder
Meaning: Think deeply
In a Sentence: I pondered my next move in chess.
Other Ways to Say: Reflect / Consider
45. Have a hunch
Meaning: A feeling or guess based on thinking
In a Sentence: I had a hunch he’d call me today.
Other Ways to Say: Gut feeling / Instinct
46. Have a brain like a sieve
Meaning: Forget things easily
In a Sentence: I forgot again—I have a brain like a sieve!
Other Ways to Say: Forgetful / Poor memory
47. Keep your wits about you
Meaning: Stay alert and think clearly
In a Sentence: Keep your wits about you during the test.
Other Ways to Say: Stay sharp / Be smart
48. Not give it a second thought
Meaning: Do something without thinking again
In a Sentence: I helped her and didn’t give it a second thought.
Other Ways to Say: No hesitation / Did it naturally
49. Out of your mind
Meaning: Not thinking clearly or acting wildly
In a Sentence: You must be out of your mind to jump off that swing!
Other Ways to Say: Crazy / Not thinking
50. Keep it in mind
Meaning: Remember something important
In a Sentence: Keep it in mind that the test is next week.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t forget / Keep track
