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

Despite the overwhelming evidence that fossil fuels are the primary cause of climate change, a new report from British think tank the New Weather Institute shows that the sports industry is receiving $5.6 billion in sponsorship money from the fossil fuel industry. —Vitas Carosella, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024

But researchers at nonprofit think tank KFF estimate that more than 1 million low-income Americans depend on the federal-state program for life-saving addiction care. —Kim Krisberg, NPR, 16 Sep. 2024

British think tanks are not required to name their donors. —Kara Fox, CNN, 14 Sep. 2024

Project 2025 was organized by the Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-wing think tank. —Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

think tank

noun

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