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• think tank
  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.
• think-tank
  think-tank

  noun

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

think tank

American  

noun

1. 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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think-tank British  

noun

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

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think tank Cultural  

1. 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.)

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think tank Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of think tank

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

Example Sentences

“This was a multi-pronged effort at reasserting deterrence,” said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, a London-based think tank.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

In 2025, renewables reached 34 percent of global electricity generation, overtaking coal's 33 percent share for the first time in 100 years, according to energy think tank Ember.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Both are from the town of Ranya in Iraqi Kurdistan - a region "riddled with active smuggling networks", according to a report by the UK think tank, Chatham House.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

South Korean think tank reports, with titles like “Sanctions Don’t Show in Satellite Imagery,” point to evidence that North Korea’s claimed economic progress isn’t mere propaganda.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

This particular think tank was the Thornton Unified Research and Development Institute.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles