Phrase guide

train of thought

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The flow of thinking; a sequence of ideas passing through someone’s mind.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonym: thought process

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chain of thought, line of thought, thought path, thread of thought, thought process

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the connections that link the various parts of an event or argument together

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I couldn't follow his train of thought
  • he lost the thread of his argument

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: thread

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: thinking, thought, thought process, cerebration, intellection, mentation

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: ред на мисли (red na misli) — flow of thinking
  • Catalan: curs dels pensaments — flow of thinking
  • Chinese Mandarin: 思路 (sīlù) — flow of thinking
  • Danish: tankegang — flow of thinking
  • Dutch: gedachtegang — flow of thinking
  • Esperanto: pensfadeno — flow of thinking
  • Finnish: ajatuskulku — flow of thinking
  • French: raisonnement — flow of thinking
  • French: flux de pensée — flow of thinking
  • German: Gedankengang — flow of thinking
  • Hebrew: חוּט מַחְשָׁבָה (ẖut maẖshavá) — flow of thinking
  • Hungarian: gondolatmenet — flow of thinking
  • Italian: filo del ragionamento — flow of thinking
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tankegang — flow of thinking
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: tankegang — flow of thinking
  • Polish: tok myślenia — flow of thinking
  • Portuguese: fio da meada — flow of thinking
  • Russian: ход мы́слей (xod mýslej) — flow of thinking
  • Spanish: tren de pensamiento — flow of thinking
  • Spanish: ilación — flow of thinking
  • Spanish: congruencia — flow of thinking
  • Spanish: congruidad — flow of thinking
  • Swedish: tankegång — flow of thinking
  • Ukrainian: хід думок (xid dumok) — flow of thinking