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

The Tax Foundation, a conservative-leaning think tank that opposes tariffs, found that such a measure could raise $300 billion per year in additional government revenue, or roughly $3 trillion over 10 years, although the amount would decrease over time as consumers imported fewer goods. —Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023

However, illicit fentanyl also arrives in the U.S. by mail, passenger boats, cargo ships, commercial planes and drones, according to a report from Rand Corp., a global policy think tank. —Politifact Staff Writer, Dallas News, 10 Sep. 2023

The problem of high rents and the housing shortage have been building for years, said Jeannette Lee, Alaska research director for nonpartisan think tank Sightline Institute. —Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Sep. 2023

The Council of Foreign Relations, a non-partisan think tank, recently compared the amount to other high profile spending initiatives. —Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023

The legal battle has been cited in two think tank reports as an example of the regime’s use of foreign judiciaries to attain its ends. —Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023

Brian Riedl, an economist at the Manhattan Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank, said the United States appears on track for annual deficits that could rise close to $3 trillion for the rest of the decade. —Jeff Stein, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Sep. 2023

Matthew Crawford quit his position as director of a think tank, to open a motorcycle repair shop. —CBS News, 31 Aug. 2023

Colorado is one of the 22 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, to ban conversion therapy for minors, per the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ think tank. —Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2023

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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