to have a mind of one's own
9
6.5
- idiom
:
tener su propia opinión
- TULLOCH: Well, part of the problem is that the animals that we work with are generally well-trained, but they have a mind of their own.
- she always have a mind of her own
- she certainly has a mind of her own
- my daughter has a mind of her own
Examples
-
But, you know, my daughter has a mind of her own.
-
You've always had a mind of your own, and you've always used it.
-
Oh, she has a mind of her own.
-
Well, she certainly has a mind of her own.
Fiction book (1997) -
Yeah, well, people with that much experience tend to have a mind of their own.
-
She always had a mind of her own.
-
You should know by now that Luisa has a mind of her own.
-
You'll find she has a mind of her own.
-
They have a mind of their own.
-
My daughter has a mind of her own and makes her own decisions about her future.
Synonyms
15
4.2
Act on your own without following what other people want
7
6.5
To make your own decisions without other people telling you what to do
5
6.2
Choose your own path in life
3
5.6
To be sure about what you want and act on it
Antonyms
How Independent
9
6.5
- Informal
3
3.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
have + a + mind + of + one's + own
The phrase literally denotes possessing 'a mind' that is 'one's own' so the meaning ('think independently') follows directly from combining 'have' + 'mind' + 'own'. This compositional structure is common cross-linguistically and would be inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The expression have a mind of one's own gives a simple picture: a person whose mind acts on its own, as if the mind makes its own choices instead of following others. That's why it means 'to think independently' or 'to make your own decisions'.