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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

"To be able to meet the 2030 climate target, annual savings of around 40 million tonnes of CO2 are required," the think tank said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

This means a renewed focus on debt, trade, financial stability and banking regulation, Josh Lipsky, chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council think tank, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Warsh was a fellow at the Hoover Institution, a right-leaning think tank on the grounds of Stanford University, for 15 years after serving as a Fed governor from 2006 until 2011.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

“There’s been a lot of focus on their contract wins,” said Todd Harrison, a defense analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 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

Gaining a rich and stable new member in Iceland would be a welcome win for EU enlargement, says Hallgrímur Oddsson, head of the EU-Iceland think-tank European Currents.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

The figures have been much the same for years, both at Gallup and when tracked by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a think-tank.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

There are several possible reasons for the deterioration, suggests Sam Cranny-Evans from the Royal United Services Institute think-tank in London.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The think-tank has examined how the technology could help or harm dozens of professions -- from cobblers to sewer cleaners, farmers to tea sellers.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

Yes I know," said Mickey, "but as long as everything you say swings the circle and rounds up with Peter, it's no job to guess what's most important in your think-tank.

From Michael O'Halloran by Gene Stratton-Porter