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

Kim is now President of the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, a think tank focused on AI risks and safety. — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Japan's prime minister attended parliamentary sessions for 72 days in 2022, compared to 50 in Britain and 13 in Germany, Fujita said, citing a recent report by a political think tank NXJI Research. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

Study after study, by public officials and think tanks, has shown that voting by noncitizens and other ineligible voters happens only at minuscule, statistically insignificant levels. — Christopher Miller, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2026

In a statement provided via email, Matt O’Brien, deputy executive director of the conservative think tank Federation for American Immigration Reform, applauded the vice president. — Laina Gustafson, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 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