as in intelligence
the ability to learn and understand or to deal with problems
you have the brains to figure out that problem on your own
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Recent Examples of brains
Daniel Kolitz, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The e-note has octa-core processing brains supported by 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, with microSD expansion and cloud sync available for workflow efficiency.
—New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2025
House of Style aired from 1989 to 2003, with Fuentes serving as a host from 1997 to 2002, picking the brains of the era's most famous models and designers.
—Janine Rubenstein, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
The researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) scans, along with a radioactive tracer to measure the production of a chemical called acetylcholine in the participants’ brains at the start and end of the study.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 23 Oct. 2025
Dare your dead and undead guests to indulge in some Jell-O brains or edible fake ground beef.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
In this age of speed and content almost forced into our brains, only the most devoted readers look beyond familiar names to discover new international voices, often hidden behind unpronounceable names.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
From the moment babies — rat babies, human babies, and just about every other kind of baby — are born, their brains build on experience.
—Big Think, 22 Oct. 2025
People who were gestating during the famine grew up to have smaller brains; their kidneys had fewer nephrons, which reduces the organs’ effectiveness.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
The gooners racked their brains.
—Daniel Kolitz, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The e-note has octa-core processing brains supported by 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, with microSD expansion and cloud sync available for workflow efficiency.
—New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2025
House of Style aired from 1989 to 2003, with Fuentes serving as a host from 1997 to 2002, picking the brains of the era's most famous models and designers.
—Janine Rubenstein, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
The researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) scans, along with a radioactive tracer to measure the production of a chemical called acetylcholine in the participants’ brains at the start and end of the study.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 23 Oct. 2025
Dare your dead and undead guests to indulge in some Jell-O brains or edible fake ground beef.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
In this age of speed and content almost forced into our brains, only the most devoted readers look beyond familiar names to discover new international voices, often hidden behind unpronounceable names.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
From the moment babies — rat babies, human babies, and just about every other kind of baby — are born, their brains build on experience.
—Big Think, 22 Oct. 2025
People who were gestating during the famine grew up to have smaller brains; their kidneys had fewer nephrons, which reduces the organs’ effectiveness.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brains
Noun
-
South Korea’s intelligence agency estimated in September that about 2,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed in the fighting.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Greta Lee is an intelligence officer pulled from a Gettysburg trip with her kid to deliver some important North Korean intel.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Minnesota academic later insulted Kirk's intellect.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Known for his wit, intellect, and love of both golf and the game that shaped his life, Domres stayed connected to former teammates and the sport well into his later years.—
Jon Paul Hoornstra,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This, plus the ongoing calls among family members, maintains a powerful sense of human connection and love.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The move turned out to be a blessing for Harrison, who has felt a sense of relief since leaving the dating show.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Today with Jenna & Friends co-host credited her sister as the reason for many of her successes, including her role as a television host.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The Raptors’ 34-11 advantage in fast-break points was the biggest reason for that.—
Eric Koreen,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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When too much brainpower goes toward meeting basic needs like rent or groceries, long-term thinking and innovation fade, depriving society of creativity and progress.—
Scott Ellis,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
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In that case, researchers would focus their brainpower on the last hurdles standing in the way of the AI holy grail: predictability and interpretability.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Tariffs are taxes on production, government spending is a tax on progress, deportation saps workforce productivity, and the weak dollar (see the gold price) is a tax on investment.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Cast and crew are emotionally invested in the urgency of the material, but the bland competency of the whole affair saps it of power.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brains. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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