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URL: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notion

⇱ NOTION Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster


1
a(1)
: an individual's conception or impression of something known, experienced, or imagined
They had different notions of right and wrong.
(2)
: an inclusive general concept
… arriving at the notion of law β€¦β€”πŸ‘ Image
Irving Babbitt
(3)
: a theory or belief held by a person or group
the notion of original sin
b
: a personal inclination : whim
He had a notion to try skydiving.
2
obsolete : mind, intellect
3
notions plural : small useful items : sundries
found the thread she wanted among the shop's notions
Choose the Right Synonym for notion

idea, concept, conception, thought, notion, impression mean what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan).

idea may apply to a mental image or formulation of something seen or known or imagined, to a pure abstraction, or to something assumed or vaguely sensed.

innovative ideas
my idea of paradise

concept may apply to the idea formed by consideration of instances of a species or genus or, more broadly, to any idea of what a thing ought to be.

a society with no concept of private property

conception is often interchangeable with concept; it may stress the process of imagining or formulating rather than the result.

our changing conception of what constitutes art

thought is likely to suggest the result of reflecting, reasoning, or meditating rather than of imagining.

commit your thoughts to paper

notion suggests an idea not much resolved by analysis or reflection and may suggest the capricious or accidental.

you have the oddest notions

impression applies to an idea or notion resulting immediately from some stimulation of the senses.

the first impression is of soaring height

Examples of notion in a Sentence

He has some pretty strange notions. She had a vague notion about what happened. The study disproves any notion that dolphins are not intelligent. She had a notion to try skydiving. a sewing shop that sells fabrics, books, tools, and notions
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Before long, the notion that Israel had ordered Kirk’s assassination was so widely discussed that Netanyahu publicly denied involvement. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Both hospitality ventures changed the very notion of quiet luxury. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2026
And just days after Moriah’s birth, on May 18, 1996, Wilson was hit with the heartbreaking notion that Moriah would leave her someday. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Erin Jensen, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
When ChatGPT couldn’t reliably add and subtract, let alone search the web, the notion that AI programs would soon be able to do world-class machine-learning research seemed laughable. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for notion

Word History

Etymology

Latin notion-, notio, from noscere

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(2)

Time Traveler
The first known use of notion was in 1531

Cite this Entry

β€œNotion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notion. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

1
a
: idea sense 2, conception
have a notion of a poem's meaning
b
: a belief held : opinion
c
: a sudden wish or desire : whim
just had a notion to go home
2
plural : small useful articles (as pins, needles, or thread)

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