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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

think tanks plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• think tanks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of think tank

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

think tank think-tank

Italy is second to Spain in the EU for desalination capacity, accounting for around 7.6 percent of daily EU production, according to data from the think tank The European House -- Ambrosetti.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

At the time, Elmore was working at a think tank funded by effective altruists, and wanted to see more done to sway public opinion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

"Britain is an international outlier in how reliant our system is on blunt cash payments," said Joe Shalam, policy director at the think tank.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

“It’s clear the alliance is in a very different place than it was a year ago,” said Torrey Tausig, a former Pentagon official at the Atlantic Council think tank.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

“Did y’all know Petey has a meeting with a think tank on Saturday?”

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

Magnus Taylor, a Horn of Africa analyst at the International Crisis Group think-tank, does not believe there will be an immediate return to war.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

That could see a left-wing figure like Angela Rayner or Ed Miliband joining any race, Labour's former policy director Andrew Fisher told a think-tank event this week.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Michael Kugelman of The Atlantic Council think-tank says Trump appears to see Pakistan's wartime performance as a "David-versus-Goliath story" - helping explain, at least partly, "his admiration for Munir".

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

Both are sons of immigrants, although the mayor was born in Uganda while the think-tank president, a Brooklyn native, is a natural-born American.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

"You are the only original think-tank," he quoted Hallowell's earlier remark.

From The Sign at Six by White, Stewart Edward