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think tank

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noun

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

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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. 2019

Examples from the Web for think-tank

Contemporary Examples of think-tank

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

n.

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.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for think-tank

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.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.