brainstorm

American  

[breyn-stawrm] / ˈbreɪnˌstɔrm /

noun

1. 1. a sudden impulse, idea, etc..

      Her most recent brainstorm of teaching her dog to surf wasn’t met with much enthusiasm from the dog.

   2. Chiefly British Informal. a fit of mental confusion or excitement.

2. a session of brainstorming.

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adjective

1. of or relating to brainstorming.

verb (used without object)

1. to conduct or practice brainstorming, a technique for generating ideas and solving specific problems with uncensored and nonlinear thinking, usually performed through group participation in a spontaneous discussion where all ideas are noted without assigning them value, and no proposal is selected or discarded until after the conclusion of the creative exercise.

verb (used with object)

1. to generate (ideas, solutions, questions, etc.) through brainstorming.

brainstorm British  

/ ˈbreɪnˌstɔːm /

noun

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

2. informal a sudden mental aberration

3. informal another word for brainwave

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Other Word Forms

• brainstormer noun

Etymology

Origin of brainstorm

First recorded in 1890–95; brain + storm; originally a manifestation of a serious psychiatric disorder

Example Sentences

Billed as a "strategic brainstorming," Thursday's talks were not expected to produce immediate action.

From Barron's

Instead, we celebrate my miraculous recovery of the watch case—I checked inside and four watches are still there, thankfully—and brainstorm birthday present ideas for Dad.

From Literature

"No names yet but we are brainstorming," he said.

From BBC

In experiments involving brainstorming, participants predicted that their best ideas would come early and that additional effort would yield diminishing returns.

From The Wall Street Journal

Designers also brainstorm with AI by describing ideas that are generated into mood boards.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• deliberate