think tank

American  

noun

1. a research institute or organization employed to solve complex problems or predict or plan future developments, as in military, political, or social areas.

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think-tank British  

noun

1. informal a group of specialists organized by a business enterprise, governmental body, etc, and commissioned to undertake intensive study and research into specified problems

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think tank Cultural  

1. An institution in which scholars pursue research in public policy. Largely funded by endowments and grants, think tanks work to improve public awareness of policy issues (through publications) and to influence the government to act upon issues of national importance. (See power elite.)

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think tank Idioms  

1. A group or organization dedicated to problem-solving and research, especially in such areas as technology, social or political strategy, and the military. For example, The congressional leaders rely too heavily on that conservative think tank. This term originated about 1900 as a facetious colloquialism for brain and was given its new meaning about 1950.

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Etymology

Origin of think tank

1900–05 for earlier sense “brain”; 1955–60 for current sense

Example Sentences

Czin, currently a fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, said Xi is stripping the high command “down to its studs,” demonstrating a total loss of patience with the military institution itself.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the Resolution Foundation think tank told the BBC it was likely that "the UK's child poverty rate in recent years will be revised down" as a result of the new approach.

From BBC

Other recipients include Innovation: Africa, which delivers solar-powered clean water to sub-Saharan Africa, and IEA Ghana, a think tank, to help it explore ways to build nuclear plants in West Africa.

From The Wall Street Journal

Speaking to AFP after a conference at the French Institute of International Relations think tank, Wright said Europe should not worry as the United States remained a "stout ally".

From Barron's

“The timing is quite significant just on the back of the India-U.S. trade deal,” said Dinakar Peri, a fellow in the security studies program at Carnegie India, a think tank based in New Delhi.

From The Wall Street Journal