no ‧ tion W3 AC /ˈnəʊʃ ə n $ ˈnoʊ-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: notio , from notus ; ⇨ ↑ notice 2 ]
1 . an idea, belief, or opinion
notion of
misguided notions of male superiority
The traditional notion of marriage goes back thousands of years.
She had only a vague notion of what she wanted to do.
notion that
the notion that human beings are basically good
She had no notion what he meant.
accept/challenge/reject etc a notion
They reject the notion of group guilt.
2 . notions [plural] American English small things such as thread and buttons that are used for sewing
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have a notion
He didn’t have a clear notion of what he had to do.
▪ accept a notion
Probably 95% of scientists now accept the notion that human activity is causing climate change.
▪ support a notion
There is no evidence to support the notion that girls are treated better than boys in school.
▪ reinforce a notion (=make an idea stronger or easier to believe)
The research reinforces the notion that fathers have an important role in their children’s lives.
▪ challenge/dispute a notion
Copernicus challenged the notion that the sun goes around the earth.
▪ reject/dismiss a notion
Aristotle rejected the notion that the body and the soul are separate.
■ adjectives
▪ a vague notion (=an unclear idea)
He had only a vague notion of what might happen next.
▪ an absurd/ridiculous notion
They had the ridiculous notion that they could make a living from singing.
▪ a simple notion
You cannot rate the project according to a simple notion of ‘value for money’: there are too many factors involved.
▪ an abstract notion
In art, how can you represent abstract notions such as peace or justice?
▪ a romantic notion (=one that is based on how you want something to be, not how it is in real life)
He rejected the romantic notion of rugby as a game for gentlemen.
▪ a preconceived notion (=an idea that you have before you have enough knowledge or experience)
The police were accused of twisting the evidence to meet their preconceived notion of his guilt.
▪ an accepted/received notion (=an idea that most people believe)
These women challenged accepted notions of female roles in society.
▪ the whole notion of something (=used to emphasize that you are talking about a lot of related ideas, not just one specific idea)
The movie makes us question the whole notion of what makes a hero.
■ phrases
▪ not have the faintest/foggiest notion (=not know or understand something at all)
He had not the foggiest notion how far he might have to walk.
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THESAURUS
▪ idea something that you think of, especially something that you could do or suggest:
I think that’s an excellent idea.
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Let me know if you have any good ideas.
▪ thought something that comes into your mind:
The thought had entered my mind that he might be lying.
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It was a worrying thought.
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She was lost in her thoughts.
▪ impression the idea that you have in your mind about what someone or something is like:
What was your impression of him?
▪ inspiration a good and original idea, which makes you think of doing or creating something:
Where did you get your inspiration from for the book?
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He suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
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The design for the house was entirely the inspiration of the architect.
▪ brainwave British English , brainstorm American English a sudden new and clever idea, especially one that solves a problem:
I thought I’d have to sell the house, but then I had a brainwave.
▪ concept an idea of how something is, or how something should be done:
Concepts of beauty are different in different cultures.
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the traditional concept of marriage
▪ notion an idea about life or society, especially one that is a little silly or old-fashioned:
There is no evidence to support the notion that poverty is caused by laziness.