think tank

noun

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of think tank

: 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

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Recent Examples of think tank from the Web

Matt Stoller, a fellow at nonprofit think tank Open Markets Institute, has some suggestions for how senators should approach the topic.

— jason abbruzzese, NBC News, "Another potential line of questioning?," 10 Apr. 2018
Lucy Dadayan, a research scientist at the public policy think tank Rockefeller Institute of Government, said the gambling industry in the past has presented overly optimistic views of expanded gambling.

— cameron mcwhirter, WSJ, "Would Legalized Sports Betting Help States Get Out of the Hole?," 7 Apr. 2018
Putin needs their loyalty and gives them financial benefits in return, said Alina Polyakova, an analyst at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington.

— doug stanglin, USA TODAY, "U.S. imposes new sanctions on 7 Russian oligarchs and 17 government officials," 6 Apr. 2018
Bob Work, previously deputy secretary of defense in both the Obama and Trump administrations, chairs a new task force on AI at think tank the Center for a New American Security.

— tom simonite, WIRED, "Ex-Google Executive Opens a School for AI, With China's Help," 5 Apr. 2018
In fact, SmarterSafer, a collation made up of insurance companies, progressive environmental organizations and right-leaning think tanks, is one group advocating for sweeping change (pdf).

— jen schwartz, Scientific American, "National Flood Insurance Is Underwater Because of Outdated Science," 23 Mar. 2018
And the working atmosphere at the think tank has reportedly improved since Crane’s departure.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Libertarian Think Tank Let Boss Sexually Harass Workers," 8 Feb. 2018
After researching the lack of diversity in Hollywood, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the leading global think tank studying issues of inclusion across entertainment mediums, has set its sights on the music world.

— nicole pajer, Billboard, "New Report Shows Major Lack of Representation by Women in the Music Industry," 25 Jan. 2018
In the years leading up to his original Freedom Seder, Waskow was a resident fellow with the Institute for Policy Studies, a liberal think tank in Washington.

— kristin e. holmes, Philly.com, "From Philly rabbi, a new Freedom Seder for a divided nation," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'think tank.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.