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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

Respondents to a January poll commissioned by the think tank were asked to guess how the British economy compares with the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, reported that ICE arrests of Cubans jumped from fewer than 200 a month in late 2024 to more than 1,000 per month in late 2025.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

Exports of solar equipment from China—the largest producer of solar components by far—doubled in March from February levels, according to Ember, an energy think tank.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

“Iranians will suffer hardship,” said Mohamed Amersi, an Iran expert and member of the Global Advisory Council of the Wilson Center, a Washington think tank.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 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