on second thought
After reconsidering; on further consideration.
I originally thought that it was a good idea, but on second thought I'm not so sure.
ADJ
comforting, good, happy, pleasant, positive
It was a pleasant thought that we would finally see our grandchildren again after so long.
anxious, appalling, awful, bad, black, dark, depressing, disquieting, disturbing, gloomy, negative, sad, sobering, terrible
She had a terrible thought about whether she had locked the front door.
interesting, intriguing
first, immediate, initial
When I saw the broken vase, my first thought was to call my mother and apologize.
sudden | little | fleeting, passing | conscious | unspoken
waking
During the long flight, the project occupied most of his waking thoughts.
VERB + THOUGHT
have, think
She thinks a thought about quitting her job every Monday morning.
have
I'd like to have your thoughts about which restaurant we should try tonight.
express, write down
read
My best friend can always read my thoughts without me saying anything.
dread, not be able to bear, not like, not relish
He dreaded the thought of telling his parents that he had failed the exam.
THOUGHT + VERB
come/pop into your mind, come to sb, cross your mind, go/flash/pass/race through your mind, hit sb, occur to sb, strike sb
A sudden thought struck her when she saw the old photograph on the shelf.
~s turn to sth
When I heard the music, my thoughts turned to my childhood memories.
PREP
~ about
She couldn't stop having worried thoughts about her job interview tomorrow.
~ of
The idea of moving to a new city made her nervous at first.
~ on
She never shared her thoughts on politics with her coworkers.
PHRASES
just a thought
Maybe we could invite Sarah to the party—just a thought though.
keep your thoughts to yourself
She decided to keep her thoughts to herself during the meeting and just listened.
the mere/very thought of sth
The very thought of eating insects makes her feel sick.
push/put the thought aside/away, push the thought from/out of your mind
ADJ
careful, proper
deep, profound
After years of meditation, he developed profound thought about the meaning of life.
coherent
After sleeping well, she felt ready to engage in coherent thought about the difficult problem.
logical, rational | analytical, critical | abstract | creative | free, independent
conscious
She made a conscious thought to call her mother every Sunday without fail.
fresh
After sleeping on it, she brought fresh thought to the problem and found a solution.
second
She didn't give a second thought to leaving her old job for a better opportunity.
VERB + THOUGHT
give sb/sth, spare (sb)
She spared a thought for her old friend while walking past their favorite café.
direct, turn
She directed her thoughts toward finding a solution to the problem.
provoke
His controversial speech provoked thought among the audience about social change.
be deep in, be lost in
He was lost in thought during the meeting and missed the important announcement.
THOUGHT + VERB
go into sth
A lot of careful thought went into planning the school trip.
THOUGHT + NOUN
pattern, process
Her thought pattern changed completely after she started studying philosophy.
PREP
without ~
She spoke without thought and later regretted hurting her friend's feelings.
PHRASES
after a moment's thought
After a moment's thought, she decided to apply for the job.
freedom of thought
People in democratic countries have the right to freedom of thought without government interference.
a line/mode/train of thought
She interrupted him mid-sentence and he completely lost his train of thought.
thought-provoking
The documentary about climate change was really thought-provoking and made me reconsider my daily habits.
with no thought for sth
She spent all her savings on the trip with no thought for her future expenses.
ADJ
modern | 19th-century, etc. | Eastern, Western | intellectual, philosophical, scientific | economic, political | feminist, liberal, socialist, etc.
PHRASES
a school of thought
There are several schools of thought about the best way to learn a language.
a strand of thought
She followed a particular strand of thought about why the project had failed.
ADJ
kind, kindly, nice
It was a nice thought to bring your friend soup when she was sick.