have second thoughts
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
To reconsider or doubt a decision
Literally: experience thoughts for a second time
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
I had second thoughts about quitting my job
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Equivalents & related
Common questions
What does “have second thoughts” mean?
To reconsider or doubt a decision Literally: experience thoughts for a second time
Is “have second thoughts” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“nghĩ lại” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.