brain cramp
noun
plural brain cramps
chiefly US & Canada, informal
: a mental lapse caused especially by carelessness, forgetfulness, or inattention
Occasionally, I suffer a brain cramp when it comes to names in the column. And last Sunday, I had a doozy. I referred to the late Coeur d'Alene architect R.G. Nelson as "Ralph" Nelson. His first name is Robert.—
Dave Oliveria
Dave OliveriaAmid such a polished performance, [third baseman, Chipper] Jones' brain cramp stood out. He lost track of the count in his fourth at-bat and started up the baseline after ball three.—Associated Press
Associated Presscalled also (somewhat impolitely) brain fart
Examples of brain cramp in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This would appear to be an immense brain cramp on the part of these administrators … except that the Division I Board of Directors (mostly consisting of school CEOs) and the Division III Management Council also supported deregulation of betting on professional sports.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 26 June 2025
Santana scored three more in the top of the seventh with the aid of a Saints defensive brain cramp.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2022
And, yet, in a massive brain cramp by the entire organization, manager Dave Roberts stuck to the party line by summoning a starting pitcher who has not relieved in a late-inning high-leverage situation all year.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2021
This wasn’t a brain cramp from a young player who got confused or doesn’t know any better.
—Chris Fedor, cleveland, 27 Apr. 2021
The brain cramp leaving the house, grabbing your face covering but not your wallet, or vice versa, and shoot, the tank is empty and hand sanitizer would be nice after pumping gas.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 4 July 2020
After the end-of-period brain cramp, the Bruins regained the lead on a gaffe by Tampa’s penalty killers, and a nice look by Krug.
—BostonGlobe.com, 18 Oct. 2019
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Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 26 June 2025
Santana scored three more in the top of the seventh with the aid of a Saints defensive brain cramp.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2022
And, yet, in a massive brain cramp by the entire organization, manager Dave Roberts stuck to the party line by summoning a starting pitcher who has not relieved in a late-inning high-leverage situation all year.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2021
This wasn’t a brain cramp from a young player who got confused or doesn’t know any better.
—Chris Fedor, cleveland, 27 Apr. 2021
The brain cramp leaving the house, grabbing your face covering but not your wallet, or vice versa, and shoot, the tank is empty and hand sanitizer would be nice after pumping gas.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 4 July 2020
After the end-of-period brain cramp, the Bruins regained the lead on a gaffe by Tampa’s penalty killers, and a nice look by Krug.
—BostonGlobe.com, 18 Oct. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Brain cramp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brain%20cramp. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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