An intention is an idea or plan of what you are going to do.
Beveridge announced his intention of standing for parliament. [+ of]
It is my intention to remain in my position until a successor is elected.
Unfortunately, his good intentions never seemed to last long.
Synonyms: aim, plan, idea, goal More Synonyms of intention
2.
See have no intention/have every intention
intention in British English
(ɪnˈtɛnʃən)
noun
1.
a purpose or goal; aim
it is his intention to reform
2. law
the resolve or design with which a person does or refrains from doing an act, a necessary ingredient of certain offences
3. medicine
a natural healing process, as by first intention, in which the edges of a wound cling together with no tissue between, or by second intention, in which the wound edges adhere with granulation tissue
4. (usually plural)
design or purpose with respect to a proposal of marriage (esp in the phrase honourable intentions)
5. an archaic word for meaning, intentness
intention in American English
(ɪnˈtɛnʃən)
noun
1.
the act or fact of intending; determination to do a specified thing or act in a specified manner
2.
a.
anything intended or planned; aim, end, or purpose
b. [pl.]
purpose in regard to marriage
3. Rare
meaning or import
4. Philosophy
the direction or orientation of the mind toward an object
5. Surgery
the manner or process by which a wound heals: the three degrees (first, second, and third intention) are distinguished by the relative amounts and types of granulation that occur
SYNONYMY NOTE: intention is the general word implying a having something in mind as a plan or design, or referringto the plan had in mind; , intent, a somewhat formal term now largely in legal usage, connotes more deliberation [assault with intent to kill]; purpose connotes still greater resolution in the plan [my purpose in writing you]; aim refers to a specific intention and connotes a directing of all efforts toward this[his aim is to become a doctor]; goal suggests laborious effort in striving to attain something [the presidency was the goal of his ambition]; UNRESOLVED CROSS REF emphasizes the final result one hopes to achieve as distinct from the process ofachieving it [does a desirable end justify the use of immoral means?]; object is used of an end that is the direct result of a need or desire [the object of the discussion was to arouse controversy]; objective refers to a specific end that is capable of being reached [her immediate objective is to pass the course]
Word origin
ME entencioun < OFr entencion < L intentio < pp. of intendere
COBUILD Collocations
intention
clear intention
good intentions
sole intention
Examples of 'intention' in a sentence
intention
How much he told his wife about his intentions to fight remain unclear.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Recent economic history shows that the road to investment hell is paved with good political intentions.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There must be a collective noun for these sorry plastic boxes: a good intention?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The number of people entirely bypassed by the good intentions of auto-enrolment grows all the time.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It's a case of good intentions causing perverse public policy outcomes.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
All good intentions, all very honourable.
The Sun (2016)
Instead of just having bright ideas and good intentions, you have the opportunity to turn them into action.
The Sun (2016)
If you imagine good intentions are enough, you end up shining a light on the network instead of the cause.
The Sun (2016)
I know his intentions were good.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You are ready to turn good intentions about getting fitter into action.
The Sun (2013)
We have to resort to the language of purpose and intention to explain programmed cell death.
Christianity Today (2000)
The subjective intention of the person responsible for the works would rarely be relevant.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Whether their honourable intentions are being rewarded as they might expect is debatable.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
This was part of the original intention of the reforms.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They took our good intentions and threw them away.
Oliver Poole BLACK KNIGHTS: On the Bloody Road to Baghdad (2003)
It involves a detailed investigation into the purposes and intentions behind an action.
Stewart, Bob (Lt-Col) Broken Lives (1993)
Its moral value depends on the intention of the person whose finger is on the trigger.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
She clearly had no intention of remaining at the apartment.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
There is little doubt that he will act with the most honourable intentions.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Of course there is the intention to play good football but most important is the result.
The Sun (2010)
Myth was bulging with viable ideas and honourable investigative intentions.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Noble intentions and good luck to them.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The original intention had been that it would hold 1000 prisoners.
Coyle, Andrew & Stern, Vivien The Prisons We Deserve (1994)
My original intention had a practical purpose, if rather idealised.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
I can confirm that remains our intention.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Moreover, an offence is committed regardless of the person 's intention.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
People, their ideas and their intentions are like electrons: they can be in two places at once.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
And the minutiae of their verse practice can help us to think about large ideas such as intention, as well as its own laws and allowances.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
Quotations
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
In other languages
intention
British English: intention /ɪnˈtɛnʃən/ NOUN
An intention is an idea or plan of what you are going to do.
...his intention is to return to this country.
American English: intention
Arabic: نِيَّةٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: intenção
Chinese: 用意
Croatian: namjera
Czech: záměr
Danish: hensigt
Dutch: bedoeling intentie
European Spanish: intención
Finnish: aikomus
French: intention
German: Absicht
Greek: πρόθεση
Italian: intenzione
Japanese: 意図
Korean: 의도
Norwegian: hensikt
Polish: intencja
European Portuguese: intenção
Romanian: intenție
Russian: намерение
Latin American Spanish: intención
Swedish: avsikt
Thai: ความตั้งใจ
Turkish: niyet
Ukrainian: намір
Vietnamese: ý định
Chinese translation of 'intention'
intention
(ɪnˈtɛnʃən)
n(c/u)
打算 (dǎsuàn) (个(個), gè)
with the best (of) intentions好心好意地 (hǎoxīn hǎoyì de)
to have no/every intention of doing sth根本没(沒)有做某事的意图(圖)/打定主意做某事 (gēnběn méiyǒu zuò mǒushì de yìtú/dǎdìng zhǔyi zuò mǒushì)
(noun)
Definition
something intended
She announced her intention of standing for parliament.
Synonyms
aim
a research programme that has failed to achieve its aim
plan
Her plan was to teach the children at home.
idea
The idea is to help lower-income families to buy their homes.
goal
The goal is to raise as much money as possible.
end
another policy designed to achieve the same end
design
Is there some design in having him here?
target
school leavers who fail to reach their targets
wish
Clearly she had no wish for his company.
scheme
a private pension scheme
purpose
They are prepared to go to any lengths to achieve their purpose.
desire
object
The object of the exercise is to raise money for charity.