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

The delay is "a worryingly backward-looking political signal", while "any security gain is far from guaranteed", Beatrice Petrovich, senior energy analyst at energy think tank Ember, told AFP.

From Barron's

Holly Dagres, an Iran specialist at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank told the BBC that the use of children at security checkpoints "underscores the desperation of the Islamic Republic".

From BBC

Over subsequent years, working mainly through the CSJ, the think tank he founded, Duncan Smith devised a system that he believed would not just simplify the benefits system but, crucially, make work pay.

From BBC

“Iran is going to double and triple down on a wide array of illicit revenue opportunities,” said Matthew Levitt, counterterrorism expert with the Washington Institute think tank.

From The Wall Street Journal

Josh Simons quit on 28 February after facing claims that the think tank he used to run before he became an MP commissioned a report that looked into journalists' backgrounds.

From BBC