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Glite Dictionary
to think aloud

to think aloud

3 5.5
To say your thoughts out loud as you form them
  • phrasal verb
  • /θɪŋk əˈlaʊd/
translation icon : pensar en voz alta
  • Billy: Ah, I was only thinking aloud, sure.
  • students think aloud
  • teacher thinks aloud
  • think aloud to model

So those of us who can think aloud whether we're right or wrong, I don't know, but sort of have a disproportionate duty to talk and think and write.

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Examples

  • You must warm up the water for your students by thinking aloud as you model the joy and struggles of writing.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Effective modeling requires thinking aloud or "labeling the steps" of a process one is modeling.

    Academic text (2010)

  • If I think back, I can remember signs," she thought aloud.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • I'm just... thinking aloud here.

    I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)

  • Students were asked periodically about their comfort levels in using the equipment and in thinking aloud.

    Academic text (1995)

  • When the class has a science-related question, think aloud as you search for credible information.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Next, Aliya's teacher will model and think aloud how to investigate the author's credentials.

    Academic text (2014)

  • They're more than halfway to the Pathfinder site," he said, thinking aloud.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • But he gave the impression that he was thinking aloud in front of the audience so that he wasn't just spouting fluently.

    The Royal Institution

  • "So, when will I change, I wonder?" I thought aloud.

Synonyms

to voice
vsto think aloud
152 3.2

To say something aloud, especially an opinion or feeling

is typically private and spontaneous rather than public or deliberate
to talk to oneself
vsto think aloud
66 3.7

To speak out loud when alone to help you think

is more about saying thoughts as they come, not only processing feelings
to give voice
vsto think aloud
15 4.3

To put thoughts or feelings into words

is less deliberate and more private than this purposeful expression
to think out loud
vsto think aloud
12 4.7

Say ideas aloud as they come to you

is the same spontaneous unaddressed verbalization of passing thoughts
to soliloquize
vsto think aloud
  • Literature
1 9.9

To say your thoughts out loud when you are alone or on stage

is similar but is usually not performed for an audience or stage

Antonyms

to keep quiet
90 2.5

To say nothing or not tell a secret

to suppress
88 5.8

To hold back feelings or reactions

How Open

to speak one's mind
  • Informal
21 3.5
to think aloud
3 5.5

Surface Forms

think aloud infinitive
thinking aloud present participle
thinks aloud third person singular
thought aloud past
thought aloud past participle

Morphology

think + aloud

The meaning 'to say your thoughts as they come' is directly and compositionally derived from 'think' (have thoughts) plus 'aloud' (audibly), so a learner who knows both words can infer the MWE. This verb + adverb pattern is a straightforward, cross-linguistic way to express vocalizing thoughts and is therefore immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase think aloud comes from the clear image of someone speaking their thoughts out loud: the verb think and the word aloud show thinking that is spoken. So, it means 'to say your thoughts as they come', often to help yourself or others understand an idea.