think tank

noun

: an institute, corporation, or group organized to study a particular subject (such as a policy issue or a scientific problem) and provide information, ideas, and advice
an information technology think tank
… was responsible for the armies of new political-action committees, lobbyists and rightward think tanks that poured into Washington to counter the consumer and environmental movements he helped to inspire.Jonathan Rowe

Examples of think tank in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Elizabeth New, director of the Center for Workers Rights at the Washington Policy Center think tank, said the new law gives employers another reason not to do business in Washington and could result in fewer available jobs. Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 24 May 2025 The American think tank also estimated that, as of March, Russia possessed a total of 206 Yars missiles. Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025 William Gale, co-director of the Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of think tanks the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, believes lawmakers will reach some compromise to continue some sort of cap, since passing no legislation would result in the deduction reverting to unlimited. Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 21 May 2025 Bottom line, that’s what the new tax bill is, essentially: a repeal of the clean energy provisions in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, according to independent analysis from the two nonpartisan think tanks. Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for think tank

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of think tank was in 1958

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Cite this Entry

“Think tank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/think%20tank. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

think tank

noun
: an organization formed to think up new solutions especially for social and scientific problems

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