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Glite Dictionary
to think out loud

to think out loud

12 4.7
Say ideas aloud as they come to you
  • phrasal verb
  • /θɪŋk aʊt laʊd/
translation icon : pensar en voz alta
  • "Which," I mused, thinking out loud, "is why she avoids him."
  • just think out loud
  • thinking out loud, maybe
  • think out loud, then

Anyway, I'm just thinking out loud now, but the length is good.

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Examples

  • I just want to think out loud.

    The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)

  • "If this was a cabin," Neil thought out loud, "then our house is a damned shack."

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Sorry, was I just thinking out loud?

    Ballbuster (2020)

  • Sorry, I was thinking out loud

    Blood Cell (2019)

  • I was just thinking out loud.

    Under Suspicion (1991)

  • So when my father began to think out loud about a sheep deal, she was ready to listen.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Participants in the usability tests were asked to think out loud so their reactions could be noted.

    Academic text (1996)

  • During the brainstorming session, she began to think out loud about potential solutions to the problem.

  • He often thinks out loud when he is alone, sharing his thoughts with no one in particular.

  • When preparing his speech, he would think out loud to organize his ideas clearly.

Synonyms

to voice
vsto think out loud
152 3.2

To say something aloud, especially an opinion or feeling

is more public and deliberate rather than spontaneous inner verbal expression
to talk to oneself
vsto think out loud
66 3.7

To speak out loud when alone to help you think

can occur even when others are present rather than only when alone
to give voice
vsto think out loud
15 4.3

To put thoughts or feelings into words

aims at making thoughts audible or public rather than internal drafting
to verbalize
vsto think out loud
  • US
9 4.8

To put thoughts or feelings into words

focuses on wording rather than the spontaneous formation of thoughts
to think aloud
vsto think out loud
3 5.5

To say your thoughts out loud as you form them

has identical meaning but uses a different phrasing
to soliloquize
vsto think out loud
  • Literature
1 9.9

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

is used in ordinary speech for spontaneous thinking rather than performance

Antonyms

to keep to oneself
27 5.4

To not tell others your thoughts or feelings

How Vocal

to announce
∞ 1.5
to think out loud
12 4.7
to whisper
586 1.0

Surface Forms

think out loud infinitive
thinking out loud present participle
thinks out loud third person singular
thought out loud past
thought out loud past participle

Morphology

think + out + loud

The meaning is directly inferable from the parts: 'think' (have thoughts) + 'out' (externalize) + 'loud' (audibly), so a learner who knows the constituents can reasonably deduce it means verbalizing one's thoughts as they occur. This compositional pattern (e.g. Spanish 'pensar en voz alta', French 'penser tout haut') is cross-linguistically common, supporting immediate comprehension at B1.

Etymology

Think out loud paints a clear image: you think while your thoughts come out and you say them loud so other people can hear. That's why it means 'to say your thoughts as you are making them'.