wits

¹ British  

/ wɪts /

plural noun

1. (sometimes singular) the ability to reason and act, esp quickly (esp in the phrase have one's wits about one )

2. (sometimes singular) right mind, sanity (esp in the phrase out of one's wits )

3. at a loss to know how to proceed

4. obsolete the five senses or mental faculties

5. to gain a livelihood by craftiness and cunning rather than by hard work

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Wits ² British  

/ wɪts /

noun

1. informal University of the Witwatersrand

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Example Sentences

“This has got to be something that they want to do and want to do all the time and want to talk about to their wits’ end,” he says of his hosts.

From Los Angeles Times

She needs more medical attention than he, but both have their wits about them.

From Los Angeles Times

Not quite all there in his wits anymore, but he’s got more wild seafaring stories in that gray head than you could shake a stick at.

From Literature

We can see that Shakespeare really was an upstart compared to the Oxford and Cambridge wits, but also how he cobbled together a practical, hands-on education in Shoreditch.

From The Wall Street Journal

Our robot would have to rely on her wits.

From Literature

Related Words

• fun
• joke
• satire