to collect one's thoughts
6
4.3
- idiom
:
organizar los pensamientos
- I need a few minutes to collect my thoughts before I respond.
- trying to collect my thoughts
- paused to collect her thoughts
- moment to collect her thoughts
Examples
-
Off the highway, a red light gave her a moment to collect her thoughts.
Fiction book (2001) -
Only the seat by the door is empty, and she sits there, collecting her thoughts.
Fiction book (1992) -
Oh, he just went out to get some air, collect his thoughts.
-
Stay around here, collect your thoughts.
-
I kept meaning to come up here and look out over town and collect my thoughts.
Fiction book (2000) -
I need to collect my thoughts, I'll tell you.
-
Doing that allowed him to collect his thoughts and reply carefully.
Fiction book (1993) -
Clarice looks down at her papers, taking a moment to collect her thoughts.
Fiction book (1991) -
Rowe spent a moment collecting his thoughts before he started speaking.
Fiction book (1997) -
After he'd left, I sat on the couch for a moment, trying to collect my thoughts.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
6
4.4
Pause and think clearly before you speak or decide
5
7.7
Put your thoughts and feelings in order after a time of confusion
1
3.9
To stop thinking about upsetting or confusing thoughts to feel calmer
1
7.2
To organize your thoughts and feelings after feeling confused or upset
To make your ideas clear and organized after feeling confused
Antonyms
How Composed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derived from combining 'collect' (to gather) with 'one's thoughts' (one's ideas or mental contents): it literally means to gather or bring together one's ideas so they are organized. This compositional pattern (gathering mental items) is straightforward and commonly expressed across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
The phrase collect one's thoughts comes from the image of using your hands to collect scattered thoughts, like loose papers on a table, and put them back in order. So, it now means 'to calm down and organize your ideas' before you speak or act.