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

Speaking at the Reagan Institute think tank in September, McMahon praised programs that prepare students for careers right out of high school. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025

Ember is an energy think tank registered in England and Wales. —John M. Crisp, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025

Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist at Public Citizen, a progressive think tank, echoed Clark’s view. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025

An independent analysis from think tank Energy Innovation released this summer showed killing the tax credits would further raise US household energy bills over the next decade. —Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for think tank

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

Kids Definition

think tank

noun

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