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

Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, agrees this is a problem. — Joseph Kim, NPR, 22 July 2026

Those savings are projected to cost H-2A workers up to 32% of their annual wages, according to the think tank the Economic Policy Institute. — Max Blau, ProPublica, 22 July 2026

New York’s number of millionaires doubled but overall its share compared to other states in the country plummeted, trailing behind Texas, Florida and California, according to the financial think tank Citizens Budget Commission. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 July 2026

Many are built on a template from the Cicero Institute, an AI-friendly think tank founded by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale. — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 21 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