(sometimes singular) the ability to reason and act, esp quickly (esp in the phrase have one's wits about one )
(sometimes singular) right mind, sanity (esp in the phrase out of one's wits )
at a loss to know how to proceed
obsolete the five senses or mental faculties
to gain a livelihood by craftiness and cunning rather than by hard work
Your wits are your ability to think clearly and quickly. If the class lizard escapes, you can panic — or you can keep your wits, calmly catch him in a box, and return him to his terrarium. The word wits is used to describe a person's collective mental faculties. If you hang onto your wits in an emergency, that means you remain resourceful and capable. On the other hand, if haunted houses scare you out of your wits, you will probably lose your ability to keep calm and collected at the first sight of a vampire. Wits, like wit, derives from the Old English gewit, "understanding or sense."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The trip taught him how to rely on his musical talents and his wits to survive on the road.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
Readers will undoubtedly become better acquainted with the variety of American Christianity but will have to use their own wits to find patterns or hear harmonies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
At the end of each show, the judges pick two characters to face off in a battle of wits.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
I am reasonably educated, and at 64, I still have most of my wits.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026
“Well, let us see what we can do,” said M. Bouc, brightening a little at this challenge to his wits.
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
