Thinking refers to thought; gerund of think. It commonly describes to ponder, to go over in one's head, to communicate to oneself in one's mind, to try to find a solution to a problem, and to conceive of something or someone (usually followed by of; infrequently, by on), which gives the term a broader and more practical sense than a single short definition would suggest. Depending on context, it can also point to to be of opinion (that); to consider, judge, regard, or look upon (something) as, to guess; to reckon, and to plan; to be considering; to be of a mind (to do something), so the category can cover literal uses, related ideas, and more figurative extensions of the same core meaning. Taken together, these meanings present Thinking as a flexible theme rather than a narrowly technical label, covering the central idea people usually mean when they use the word while still leaving room for closely related senses that appear in real language. Additional shades of meaning include to presume; to venture and to seem, to appear, which reinforce how the category can stretch across adjacent but still recognizable uses of the same term. Thinking therefore works well as a quotation category because it can hold direct statements about the subject, figurative uses that borrow its meaning, and broader reflections that stay anchored to the same central idea.
