A train of thought refers to a sequence of connected thoughts, whether happening naturally in one’s mind, or in an argument or presentation:
When the phone rang, it interrupted my train of thought.
I cannot follow the train of thought in this article; it makes no sense.
What train of thought leads to this conclusion?
Surprisingly, this phrase comes from before the first railroad trains! It was first described by the great philosopher Thomas Hobbes in his most famous work Leviathan, in 1651.
The earlier meaning of the noun train was a trail, path, or “things pulled along a path,” such as the ends of a long dress or robe, that drags along the ground behind its wearer. Kings and queens in the West have often worn clothing with these trains. This meaning of train was itself a metaphor, based on the idea of training, in the sense of training animals or training employees to behave in a certain way. The idea is that some things are pulled along a path, like animals or children trained to follow each other along a path.
However, this is all just history. Today the phrase train of thought simply means “a connected sequence of thoughts.”
More Examples of “Train of Thought” Used in a Sentence
- I’ve lost my train of thought again.
- Please don’t interrupt my train of thought.
- On this train of thought, most employees are less willing to accept negative or critical remarks on their appraisals.
- The president looked at times as if he was struggling to stay on a train of thought.
- Greg stammered, spoke too quickly, and lost his train of thought.