Synonyms

brainchild

American

[breyn-chahyld] / ˈbreɪnˌtʃaɪld /

Or brain-child,

noun

plural

brainchildren

a product of one's creative work or thought.

brainchild British

/ ˈbreɪnˌtʃaɪld /

noun

informal an idea or plan produced by creative thought; invention

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of brainchild

First recorded in 1880–85; brain + child

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.

It was the brainchild of James Dolan, who was perpetually in the klieg lights for his sports and entertainment empire that controlled the Knicks, Rangers and Madison Square Garden.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

The Mojave Experience is the brainchild of Patrick Brink, singer and songwriter for the band Volume, who was born and raised in Twentynine Palms.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

The huddle was the brainchild of now-injured captain Reece James rather than Rosenior, who explained their purpose saying: "That is the best way I think I can get messages across to them."

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

And this isn’t the first time that Charles Dow’s brainchild has fallen out of favor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

Broken Windows was the brainchild of the criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023