brainstorm

[breyn-stawrm]

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noun

a sudden impulse, idea, etc.
a fit of mental confusion or excitement.

brainstorming.

adjective

of or relating to brainstorming.

verb (used without object)

to conduct or practice brainstorming.

verb (used with object)

to subject (a problem) to brainstorming.

Origin of brainstorm

1890–95; brain + storm; originally a severe mental disturbance

Related formsbrain·storm·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for brainstorm

deliberate, ponder, conceive, create, invent, think, plan, analyze, conceptualize

Examples from the Web for brainstorm

Contemporary Examples of brainstorm

Bringing comedy to the forefront, Samsung employs Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd to sit in a brainstorm meeting.
The Best Celebrity Cameos in Super Bowl Ads
Marina Watts
February 2, 2014
He used precious time when he could have been resting to brainstorm with Fasanella about ways to make future raids more effective.
Why Was My Son Killed in Fallujah—and His Murderer Set Free?
Michael Daly
January 12, 2014
They didn't want to brainstorm solutions and they didn't want to bale water.
Who Wants To Be Prime Minister? Not Rami Hamdallah
Maysoon Zayid
June 21, 2013
Over the next three days we'll hear stories of bravery and brainstorm solutions for change.
And We're Off!
The Daily Beast
March 8, 2012
She was working on the MGM production, Brainstorm, with Walken when she drowned over Thanksgiving weekend.
L.A. Sheriff Reopens Natalie Wood Drowning Probe, Citing New Information
Christine Pelisek
November 18, 2011

Historical Examples of brainstorm

"And then my erstwhile associate Jimenez had a brainstorm," said Terry ruefully.
Creatures of the Abyss
Murray Leinster
Dont worry, said Harvey, Flo probably had a brainstorm and called them already.
Beginners Luck
Emily Hahn
It may seem rude to say so, but Orangeism consists mainly of a settled hallucination and an annual brainstorm.
The Open Secret of Ireland
T. M. Kettle
I fired up my Xbox and opened a word-processor and started to brainstorm ideas for my papers.
Little Brother
Cory Doctorow
It had been a brainstorm selecting only girls—and pretty young things, at that—for the Interstellar Symphony.
World Beyond Pluto
C. H. Thames

British Dictionary definitions for brainstorm

brainstorm

noun

a severe outburst of excitement, often as the result of a transitory disturbance of cerebral activity

British informal a sudden mental aberration

informal another word for brainwave

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

Word Origin and History for brainstorm

"brilliant idea, mental excitement, fit of mental application," 1849, from brain (n.) + figurative use of storm (n.). As a verb, recorded from 1920s. Related: Brainstormed; brainstorming.