brain wave
Americannoun
-
Medicine/Medical. Usually brain waves an electrical impulse given off by brain tissue, occurring at a frequency that varies according to mental state or activity, such as the slow waves associated with deep sleep and the fast waves associated with actively engaged thoughts and speech.
-
Informal. a sudden idea or inspiration; brainstorm.
noun
Etymology
Origin of brain wave
First recorded in 1865–70
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.
That stop signal, which reaches all the excitatory neurons simultaneously, only lasts so long, ends up synchronizing their activity, producing a coordinated gamma brain wave.
From Science Daily • May 21, 2024
Our dogs understand us better than they’ve been given credit for — and scientists say they have the brain wave evidence to prove it.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2024
Even during those tiny naps, the birds achieved so-called slow wave sleep, according to their brain wave recordings.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 29, 2023
Gamma waves are a frequency of brain wave typically associated with wakefulness, alertness and memory recall.
From Scientific American • Jun. 12, 2023
“Listen,” he added, seized by a sudden brain wave, “let’s go under the Invisibility Cloak, then we might get a good look at Malfoy on the way, see what he’s up to.”
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
