think tank

noun

Synonyms of think tanknext
: 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.
Shoemaker DeMio is a senior policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. — Juliana Kim, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026 Representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union and the libertarian think tank CATO Institute. — Josh Wood, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Sep. 2026 Neither side can continue indefinitely between full-scale war and a truce, said Hamidreza Azizi, senior Iran analyst at the Crisis Group, an international think tank. — David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 The program spends more than $100 billion each year on long-term services and supports, Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank based in Washington, wrote in July. — Lorie Konish, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026 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

Rhymes for think tank

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Browse Nearby Words

think-so
think tank
think the world of
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Cite this Entry

“Think tank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/think%20tank. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

think tank

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

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