wits
plural noun
(sometimes singular) the ability to reason and act, esp quickly (esp in the phrase have one's wits about one )
wits
1 British
/ wɪts /
plural noun
-
(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
Wits
2
British
/ wɪts /
noun
Explanation
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."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
You have enough on your plate and don’t need to get into a months- or years-long battle of wits with your stepmother.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
This showdown between the Niners and the Rams would normally come down to a battle of wits between two of the game’s brightest coaches in Shanahan and Sean McVay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The trip taught him how to rely on his musical talents and his wits to survive on the road.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 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
Before Nat could collect his wits, she was gone.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
Professor Andrew Forbes of Wits University, the study's corresponding author, says the transformation in this field over the past 20 years has been remarkable.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 2026
West Wits, which also has a gold and copper project in its home market of Australia, hurried Qala Shallows into production a year ahead of schedule to capitalize on skyrocketing prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
In South Africa, where one in five adults lives with HIV, a Wits University research unit oversaw the rollout as part of an initiative funded by Unitaid, the United Nations health agency.
From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025
"We were developing a vaccine test to see how well that works, and then we would trial it on humans," Abdullah Ely, an Associate Professor at Wits University, tells the BBC in his lab.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2025
She took deep breaths to calm herself, as all the girls at Swanburne were taught to do in a class called Do Not Panic: A Swanburne Girl Always Keeps Her Wits About Her.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
