wits
1 Britishplural noun
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(sometimes singular) the ability to reason and act, esp quickly (esp in the phrase have one's wits about one )
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(sometimes singular) right mind, sanity (esp in the phrase out of one's wits )
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at a loss to know how to proceed
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obsolete the five senses or mental faculties
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to gain a livelihood by craftiness and cunning rather than by hard work
noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The sailors were scared out of their wits, especially Uncle Dutch!
From Literature
“Trust me, if my dad had his wits about him, he wouldn’t be with your grandmother.”
From Literature
We’d be there for each other, and with his quick wits to help us through and make sure we made it back home, I’d feel a lot safer than going on my own.
From Literature
Maybe she’s going to drop me somewhere, and it’ll be up to me to get back to the Ranch on my own: no supplies, no food, only my wits and my inner strength.
From Literature
Tony Pulis, who pitted his wits against the great European managerial names at Stoke City, believes there is one main reason why the Premier League's list of winning managers has no English names.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
