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

Hanna Shelest, the head of security programs at the Ukrainian Prism think tank, said Russians eagerly moved to Crimea a decade ago. — Greg Myre, NPR, 13 Aug. 2026

Even conservative think tanks have done their own reports and have found less than 100th of a percent of ballots come back from people who should be not able to vote. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026

The think tank advocates for diplomacy rather than military intervention. — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

Survey data from the Social Research Foundation, a policy think tank, places ANC support in Johannesburg at 18% among likely voters, down from 30% earlier in the year, with the DA leading at 42%. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for think tank

• gangplank
• nonbank
• outflank
• sandbank
• antitank
• interbank
• riverbank
• banc
• bank
• blank
• clank
• crank

Kids Definition

think tank

noun

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