to spring to mind
8
3.4
- phrasal verb
- /sprɪŋ tə maɪnd/
:
venir a la mente
- "And any number of gifts spring to mind," Colt added.
- spring to mind immediately
- Two questions spring to mind
And you give us one word or a sentence that springs to mind when you hear this name.
- And you give us one word or a sentence that springs to mind when you hear this name.
- When someone says Thomas Jefferson, what springs to mind?
- The first one that springs to mind for me is the tatty Westbrook and James Charles feud.
- But the top things that spring to mind would be big, huge comfortable dark pants and lots of them.
- There were a couple of that spring to mind, yes.
- An example that would spring to mind in the triathlon context would be your feeling shit that day and you're having a terrible run or ride or something like that.
Examples
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We'll be sure to let you know if anything else springs to mind.
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Whenever I hear that song, happy memories spring to mind from my childhood.
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Although... a place did spring to mind.
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But the top things that spring to mind would be big, huge comfortable dark pants and lots of them.
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The two I remember spring to mind as often as the faces of old friends.
Academic text (2009) -
One group that immediately springs to mind is women.
Academic text (2002) -
Dozens of examples spring to mind, if I'm honest.
-
The terms Orwellian and Big Brother spring to mind from a recent article.
Blog text (28) -
One thing definitely springs to mind and that's perseverance.
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Several aspects of a practice nurse's daily workload will spring to mind after a quick perusal of this list.
Academic text (2012)
Synonyms
339
2.4
Come into someone's mind suddenly or unexpectedly
120
3.0
To suddenly think of something or remember it
13
3.9
A thought or memory comes into your mind suddenly and briefly
How Quickly
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to come into your mind quickly' is directly derivable from 'spring' (to appear suddenly) combined with the directional 'to' and 'mind' (the faculty that thinks); the motion metaphor maps transparently onto mental appearance. This is a common, cross-linguistic pattern (compare 'come to mind'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will very likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Spring to mind may come from the picture of something that springs or jumps quickly into your mind, like a ball popping up. That's why it means 'to come into your mind quickly or without effort'.