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Definition of intention noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

  

intention

 noun
noun
NAmE//ɪnˈtɛnʃn//
 
[countable, uncountable]
 
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  •  what you intend or plan to do; your aim intention (of doing something) I have no intention of going to the wedding. He left the U.S. with the intention of traveling in Africa. I have every intention of paying her back what I owe her. intention (to do something) He has announced his intention to retire. intention (that…) It was not my intention that she should suffer. The original intention was to devote three months to the project. She's full of good intentions but things rarely work out for her. I did it with the best (of) intentions (= meaning to help), but I only succeeded in annoying them. see well-intentioned Thesauruspurpose
    • aim
    • intention
    • plan
    • point
    • idea
    These are all words for talking about what someone intends to do or achieve.
    • purpose what something is supposed to achieve; what someone is trying to achieve:The purpose of the visit was to see the campus in person.
    • aim what someone is trying to achieve; what something is supposed to achieve:Our main aim is to increase sales in the Northwest.
    purpose or aim?
    • Your purpose for doing something is your reason for doing it; your aim is what you want to achieve. Aim can suggest that you are only trying to achieve something;purpose gives a stronger sense of achievement being certain. Aim can be someone's aim or the aim of something. Purpose is more usually the purpose of something; you can talk about someone's purpose but that is more formal.
    • intention what you intend to do:I have no intention of going to the wedding. She's full of good intentions but things rarely work out for her.
    • plan what you intend to do or achieve:There are no plans to build new offices.
    intention or plan?
    • Your intentions are what you want to do, especially in the near future; your plans are what you have decided or arranged to do, often, but not always, in the longer term.
    • point (somewhat informal) the purpose or aim of something:What's the point of all this violence? The point of the lesson is to compare the two countries.
    • idea (somewhat informal) the purpose of something; someone's aim:The whole idea of going was so that we could meet her new boyfriend. What's the idea behind this assignment?
    point or idea?
    • Point is a more negative word than idea. If you say What's the point…? you are suggesting that there is no point; if you say What's the idea…? you are genuinely asking a question. Point, but not idea, is used to talk about things you feel annoyed or unhappy about:There's no idea in… I don't see the idea of….
    Patterns
    • with the aim/intention/idea >of>doing something
    • somebody's intention/plan to do something
    • to have a(n) purpose/aim/intention/plan/point
    • to achieve a(n) purpose/aim
    • intend verbintended adjective (≠unintended)intention nounintentional adjective (≠unintentional)intentionally adverb (≠unintentionally)Idioms
    the road to hell is paved with good intentions (saying)
     
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    it is not enough to intend to do good things; you must actually do them
    See intention in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
    Check pronunciation: intention

    Nearby words