Meaning & use
think straight
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Meaning
phraseidiom
to be able to think clearly and make sensible decisions, especially when you are tired, ill, or upset
Grammar: Used mainly in negative sentences and questions: 'I can't think straight.' It has no object.
Patterns
- can't think straight
- hard to think straight
- too tired to think straight
I was so tired after the exam that I couldn't think straight.
She had a terrible headache and found it hard to think straight.
With all that noise, it's impossible to think straight.
Common combinations
- can't think straight
- I can't think straight when I'm hungry.
- too tired to think straight
- He was too tired to think straight and made a silly mistake.
- hard to think straight
- It's hard to think straight with so many people talking.
- unable to think straight
- After the news, she was unable to think straight for hours.
Synonyms and how they differ
- think clearly
- More neutral and can be used in positive sentences; 'think straight' is stronger and usually suggests difficulty.
Commonly confused: think straight or think right?
think straight vs think right
Not a common English phrase; 'think straight' is the fixed expression for thinking clearly.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The idiom uses the adjective 'straight', not the adverb 'straightly'. Options 1 and 3 are wrong because 'straightly' is not used in this idiom. Option 2 is grammatically possible but less natural than the contraction 'I'm' in everyday speech.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “think straight”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.