Meaning & use
great minds
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Meanings
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Used to say that two people had the same idea at the same time, often humorously.
Grammar: Used as a complete response or comment, not as a grammatical part of a longer sentence.
When we both suggested pizza for dinner, she laughed and said, 'Great minds!'
I was just about to call you—great minds!
'Great minds,' he said when we both arrived with the same book.
phraseplural
Intelligent people; used especially in the full proverb 'Great minds think alike.'
Grammar: Refers to a group of intelligent people. Often used in the proverb.
Patterns
- great minds think alike
The proverb says that great minds think alike, but sometimes it's just coincidence.
Great minds throughout history have asked the same questions.
Common combinations
- great minds think alike
- We both chose the same topic for our project—great minds think alike!
- have great minds
- The conference brought together great minds from many fields.
- the great minds of something
- The great minds of the Renaissance changed art and science forever.
- great minds gather
- Every year, great minds gather at this summit to discuss climate change.
Synonyms and how they differ
- like-minded people
- This refers to people who share similar opinions, not specifically to intelligence or a shared idea.
Commonly confused: great minds or geniuses?
great minds vs geniuses
Geniuses are people with exceptional natural ability, while 'great minds' emphasizes intelligence and is often used in a fixed expression.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'great minds' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 1 uses 'great minds' as a fixed expression to comment on a shared idea. Option 0 is wrong because 'a great minds' is not grammatical (minds is plural). Option 2 is wrong because 'a great minds' is also ungrammatical. Option 3 is possible but less common; the fixed expression is usually used as a standalone comment.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “great minds”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.