Collocations for "idea"
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "idea" in context.
WordReference English Collocations © 2025
idea
ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.n
- [party, wardrobe, vacation] ideas
- an original idea
- was my own idea
- was my idea first
- have a [great, new] idea (for you)
- what a [great] idea!
- a great idea for a [business, flavor, dish]
- that is [a terrible, an awful] idea
- yes, that's the [general, whole] idea
- hey, what's the big idea!
- I just had an idea!
- am trying to come up with new ideas
- came up with a great idea (yesterday)
- whose (bright) idea was it to …?
- whose idea was this?
- it was [just, only] an idea
- she's got the right idea
- don't get the wrong idea (about)
- should give you [a rough, the general] idea
- the very idea makes me [sick, angry, want to vomit]
- [was shocked, almost fainted] at the very idea (of it)
- the idea of [going, asking, having to]
- the idea gives me the [shivers, chills, creeps]
- what (ever) gave you that idea?
- didn't mean to give you that idea
- does anybody have any ideas?
- [I, you] have no idea what you are [talking about, saying, doing]
- I have no idea what you mean
- have no idea [how, where, when, why, how]
- do you have any idea what you [are doing, just said]?
- got the idea from a [book, movie]
- gave me the idea to [make, do, try]
- just to give you an idea
- [pondered, considered, mulled over] the idea
- they [rejected, liked, hated] the idea
- that gives me an idea!
- don't put ideas in her head!
- is (not) my idea of [a good time, fun, entertainment]
- not one of your best ideas
'idea' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
I
- OK
- absent
- absolute
- abstract
- aging
- agree
- alien
- almighty
- alternate
- alternative
- amused
- another
- appeal
- appealing
- attack
- attractive
- awesome
- awful
- bad
- baked
- basic
- basically
- bat
- beauty
- bed
- best
- billion
- bizarre
- blind
- born
- bother
- bounce
- brain
- brand
- bright
- brilliant
- brother-in-law
- bully
- buy
- carefully
- catch
- central
- challenge
- champion
- charming
- chew
- chilling
- clever
- click