think tank

noun

a research institute or organization employed to solve complex problems or predict or plan future developments, as in military, political, or social areas.

Origin of think tank

1900–05 for earlier sense “brain”; 1955–60 for current sense

Also called think factory.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for think-tank

workshop

Examples from the Web for think-tank

Contemporary Examples of think-tank

In this earnest effort it joins every other news outlet and think-tank.
ISIS and BS
Amal Ghandour
October 15, 2014
That fact has been completely overshadowed, said the think-tank head.
Boko Loco: A View From Nigeria
Lola Ogunnaike
May 9, 2014
When the Washington-based think-tank Freedom House released its 33rd annual global rankings of press freedom, an uproar ensued.
Is The Israeli Press Only "Partly Free"?
Ali Gharib
May 10, 2013
We got it from academia sometimes, but never from a think-tank per se.
Meet The Israeli Left's New Ideas Factory
Ali Gharib
April 18, 2013
Rubin's link takes you to a transcript of an event hosted by the Atlantic Council, a think-tank which Hagel chairs.
Cornyn's False Attack On Hagel
Ali Gharib
December 24, 2012

Historical Examples of think-tank

Got a old maid with her to keep her company—a chapper-own, they say—which ain't in no ways illuminatin' my think-tank none.
The Trail Horde
Charles Alden Seltzer
You ought to be sent to Sulphur Springs and get your think-tank hoed out.
The Uphill Climb
B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for think-tank

think-tank

noun

informal a group of specialists organized by a business enterprise, governmental body, etc, and commissioned to undertake intensive study and research into specified problems

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 think-tank

think tank

also think-tank, 1959 as "research institute" (first reference is to Center for Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, Calif.); it had been colloquial for "the brain" since 1905. See think + tank (n.).

think-tank in Culture

think tank

An institution in which scholars pursue research in public policy. Largely funded by endowments and grants, think tanks work to improve public awareness of policy issues (through publications) and to influence the government to act upon issues of national importance. (See power elite.)

Idioms and Phrases with think-tank

think tank

A group or organization dedicated to problem-solving and research, especially in such areas as technology, social or political strategy, and the military. For example, The congressional leaders rely too heavily on that conservative think tank. This term originated about 1900 as a facetious colloquialism for brain and was given its new meaning about 1950.