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 policy shift favors wealthy Americans and corporations, according to the report from ITEP, a left-leaning think tank. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 30 July 2026

The Cicero Institute, a conservative think tank that was established by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, advised the White House on the crafting of the executive order. — Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 29 July 2026

The Fabian Society is a gradualist-socialist think tank founded in 1884 by (among others) a vegetarian playwright. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026

The result is a win for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that sued in order to publicize the records. — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 25 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for think tank

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

Kids Definition

think tank

noun

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