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second thought

Other forms: second thoughts

Reconsidering a decision you've already made is called having second thoughts. You may have second thoughts about seeing a scary movie if after five minutes you're already covering your eyes.

When you rethink a choice, you have second thoughts. You might request vanilla ice cream but have second thoughts when you see your friend's hot fudge sundae. Or you might sign up for a Spanish class, only to have second thoughts because all your friends are taking Arabic. You can also use the singular version of this term, especially in a sentence like this: "On second thought, I think I'll have the hot fudge sundae."

Definitions of second thought
  1. noun
    thinking again about a choice previously made
    “he had second thoughts about his purchase”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    change of mind, flip-flop, reversal, turnabout, turnaround
    a decision to reverse an earlier decision
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