Believe vs. Think: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
"Believe" implies a strong conviction or acceptance of something as true, often without concrete evidence. "Think" refers to forming an opinion or considering something based on reasoning or information.
Key Differences
Believe often implies a sense of faith or trust in something without needing empirical evidence. In contrast, think suggests a process of reasoning or contemplation, where evidence and logic play a more significant role.
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Dec 01, 2023
When someone says they believe in something, it often conveys a conviction that is more emotionally or spiritually grounded. On the other hand, to think something implies a more analytical and possibly skeptical stance, where the individual is weighing information or possibilities.
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Dec 01, 2023
Believe can also suggest a more enduring or deep-seated conviction, possibly tied to cultural or personal values. In contrast, think might denote a more changeable, tentative, or questioning attitude towards a particular idea or scenario.
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Dec 01, 2023
The act of believing is often less about actively questioning and more about accepting. Conversely, when we think, we engage in a process of evaluation, often questioning and reassessing our ideas and beliefs.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Believe can also imply a level of commitment or adherence to a particular idea or ideology, whereas think indicates a more open-ended and potentially revisable understanding of a situation or concept.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
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Comparison Chart
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Believe and Think Definitions
Believe
To accept something as true without needing proof.
I believe in the goodness of people.
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Dec 01, 2023
Think
To use the mind to consider or reason about something.
I think we should take the shorter route.
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Dec 01, 2023
Believe
To feel sure about the existence of something.
They believe in life on other planets.
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Dec 01, 2023
Think
To have a particular opinion, belief, or idea.
She thinks that the project will be successful.
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Dec 01, 2023
Believe
To trust in someone's ability or character.
I believe in you and your talents.
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Dec 01, 2023
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Believe
To have confidence in the truth of something.
She believes that hard work pays off.
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Dec 01, 2023
Think
To have or formulate in the mind
Think the happiest thought you can think.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To reason about or reflect on; ponder
Think how complex language is. Think the matter through.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
To accept (something) as true or real
Do you believe his version of what happened?.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Believe
To consider (someone) to be truthful or accurate in what they are saying
I believe you when you say that your neighbor is angry.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
To expect or suppose; think
I believe it will snow tomorrow. I believe the letters to be authentic.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
To have faith, confidence, or trust
I believe in your ability to solve the problem.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
To consider something to be important, worthwhile, or valuable
I believe in free speech.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
(transitive) To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing).
If you believe the numbers, you'll agree we need change.
I believe there are faeries.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Believe
(transitive) To accept that someone is telling the truth.
Why did I ever believe you?
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
(intransitive) To have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth.
After that night in the church, I believed.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To bring into a given condition by mental preoccupation
He thought himself into a panic over the impending examination.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
To opine, think, reckon.
Do you think this is good? —Hmm, I believe it's okay.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To concentrate one's thoughts on; keep as a point of focus
Think victory.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
To exercise belief in; to credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of, upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by circumstances other than personal knowledge; to regard or accept as true; to place confidence in; to think; to consider; as, to believe a person, a statement, or a doctrine.
Our conqueror (whom I nowOf force believe almighty).
King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets ?
Often followed by a dependent clause.I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To exercise the power of reason, as by conceiving ideas, drawing inferences, and using judgment
My cold made it difficult to think.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
To have a firm persuasion, esp. of the truths of religion; to have a persuasion approaching to certainty; to exercise belief or faith.
Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
With the heart man believeth unto righteousness.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To bring a thought to mind by using the imagination
No one before had thought of bifocal glasses.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
Accept as true; take to be true;
I believed his report
We didn't believe his stories from the War
She believes in spirits
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To recall a thought or an image to mind
She thought of her childhood when she saw the movie.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
Judge or regard; look upon; judge;
I think he is very smart
I believe her to be very smart
I think that he is her boyfriend
The racist conceives such people to be inferior
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To have a belief, supposition, or opinion
He thinks of himself as a wit. It's later than you think.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
Be confident about something;
I believe that he will come back from the war
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
Follow a credo; have a faith; be a believer;
When you hear his sermons, you will be able to believe, too
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To use the mind in a certain way
He thinks just like you do—always worrying.
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Oct 19, 2023
Believe
Credit with veracity;
You cannot believe this man
Should we believe a publication like the National Inquirer?
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
The act or an instance of deliberate or extended thinking; a meditation.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
(transitive) To ponder, to go over in one's head.
Idly, the detective thought what his next move should be.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
(intransitive) To communicate to oneself in one's mind, to try to find a solution to a problem.
I thought for three hours about the problem and still couldn’t find the solution.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
(intransitive) To conceive of something or someone (usually followed by of; infrequently, by on).
I tend to think of her as rather ugly.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
(transitive) To be of opinion (that); to consider, judge, regard, or look upon (something) as.
At the time I thought his adamant refusal to give in right.
I hope you won’t think me stupid if I ask you what that means.
I think she is pretty, contrary to most people.
Boxing is thought to be a dangerous sport.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
(transitive) To guess; to reckon.
I think she’ll pass the examination.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
An act of thinking; consideration (of something).
I'll have a think about that and let you know.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To seem or appear; - used chiefly in the expressions methinketh or methinks, and methought.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To employ any of the intellectual powers except that of simple perception through the senses; to exercise the higher intellectual faculties.
For that I amI know, because I think.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To call anything to mind; to remember; as, I would have sent the books, but I did not think of it.
Well thought upon; I have it here.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To reflect upon any subject; to muse; to meditate; to ponder; to consider; to deliberate.
And when he thought thereon, he wept.
He thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To form an opinion by reasoning; to judge; to conclude; to believe; as, I think it will rain to-morrow.
Let them marry to whom they think best.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To purpose; to intend; to design; to mean.
I thought to promote thee unto great honor.
Thou thought'st to help me.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To presume; to venture.
Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To plan or design; to plot; to compass.
So little womanhoodAnd natural goodness, as to think the deathOf her own son.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Think
To believe; to consider; to esteem.
Nor think superfluous other's aid.
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
Judge or regard; look upon; judge;
I think he is very smart
I believe her to be very smart
I think that he is her boyfriend
The racist conceives such people to be inferior
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Think
Expect, believe, or suppose;
I imagine she earned a lot of money with her new novel
I thought to find her in a bad state
He didn't think to find her in the kitchen
I guess she is angry at me for standing her up
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
Use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments;
I've been thinking all day and getting nowhere
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
Recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection;
I can't remember saying any such thing
I can't think what her last name was
Can you remember her phone number?
Do you remember that he once loved you?
Call up memories
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
Imagine or visualize;
Just think--you could be rich one day!
Think what a scene it must have been!
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
Have in mind as a purpose;
I mean no harm
I only meant to help you
She didn't think to harm me
We thought to return early that night
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
Decide by pondering, reasoning, or reflecting;
Can you think what to do next?
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
Ponder; reflect on, or reason about;
Think the matter through
Think how hard life in Russia must be these days
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
Bring into a given condition by mental preoccupation;
She thought herself into a state of panic over the final exam
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Oct 19, 2023
Think
To reflect or ponder over a subject.
He often thinks about the meaning of life.
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Dec 01, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
Can thinking lead to believing?
Yes, through contemplation and reasoning, a thought can develop into a belief.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Is thinking always a conscious process?
Generally, yes, thinking involves conscious reasoning or contemplation.
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Dec 01, 2023
Is believing in something always religious or spiritual?
No, one can believe in concepts or ideas that are not religious or spiritual.
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Dec 01, 2023
Is it possible to think without language?
Yes, thinking can occur in forms other than verbal language, such as visual or abstract thinking.
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Dec 01, 2023
Do beliefs influence behavior?
Yes, beliefs often significantly influence an individual's actions and decisions.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can beliefs change over time?
Yes, beliefs can evolve with new experiences or information.
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Dec 01, 2023
Is thinking a sign of intelligence?
Thinking, especially critical and creative thinking, is often associated with intelligence.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can believe be used interchangeably with think?
No, while they can appear similar, believe often implies a stronger conviction, often without the need for evidence, whereas think usually involves reasoning or contemplation.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Is believe more emotional than think?
Yes, believe often has an emotional or spiritual connotation, while think is more analytical.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Can you think something and not believe it?
Yes, you can think or contemplate an idea without fully accepting it as true.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Are beliefs always based on culture or upbringing?
While culture and upbringing can influence beliefs, they can also form independently.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can beliefs be irrational?
Yes, some beliefs can be considered irrational, especially if they contradict empirical evidence.
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Dec 01, 2023
Are beliefs always conscious?
Some beliefs can be subconscious, influencing us without our full awareness.
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Dec 01, 2023
Is it possible to change a deeply held belief?
While challenging, deeply held beliefs can change with new insights, experiences, or perspectives.
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Dec 01, 2023
Is it possible to think too much?
Overthinking can occur, leading to analysis paralysis or excessive worry.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can thinking be biased?
Yes, thinking can be influenced by personal biases and preconceptions.
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Dec 01, 2023
Do children think differently than adults?
Yes, children's thinking patterns are generally less complex and more concrete than adults'.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can you believe in something you've never seen?
Yes, beliefs do not always require direct evidence or experience.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can animals think?
Animals are believed to have cognitive processes, but whether this is similar to human thinking is a subject of debate.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can thinking affect emotions?
Yes, the way we think can significantly influence our emotional state.
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Dec 01, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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