brain wave

noun

plural brain waves

1

a

: rhythmic fluctuations of voltage between parts of the brain resulting in the flow of an electric current

b

: a current produced by brain waves

2

: a flash of inspiration : brainstorm sense 1a

Musing over a fireplace in Avignon in 1782 the inventor Joseph-Michel Montgolfier had a brain wave. What if the force lifting the embers from the fire could somehow be controlled and used to carry heavier things, even people?

—Teju Cole

Examples of brain wave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

My green-phase EEG showed a big spike in the low-frequency brain waves associated with meditation and creativity. —Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

As a person sleeps, this synchrony grows, producing brain waves that are lower in frequency and higher in amplitude. —Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025

Brain Wave Changes Girdles, corsets, and other tight shapewear worn around the abdomen can be uncomfortable and affect the body in various ways, one of which is by altering brain waves. —Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 14 Oct. 2025

Brain–computer interfaces offer a solution by directly translating brain waves to text. —IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for brain wave

• agave
• behave
• concave
• conclave
• enclave
• engrave
• enslave
• forgave
• landgrave
• margrave
• shortwave
• aftershave

Kids Definition

brain wave

noun

: rhythmic changes in voltage between parts of the brain

Medical Definition

brain wave

noun

1

: rhythmic fluctuations of voltage between parts of the brain resulting in the flow of an electric current

2

: a current produced by brain waves compare alpha wave, beta wave