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

Early state-level data — in California and Pennsylvania, for example — suggests thousands of households have also chosen to downgrade to bronze plans, researchers at the Urban Institute, a left-leaning think tank, said in an e-mail. —Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026

The gaslighting evil plutocrats who want everything own the Federalist Society, Heritage Foundation and other think tanks. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2026

That is below the 16% rate in effect before the Supreme Court's ruling on Friday, the nonpartisan think tank said. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026

Adam Thierer, senior fellow at the think tank R Street Institute and longtime advocate for technological innovation, believes AI will spawn opportunities, driving the economy into the future. —Jake Angelo, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for think tank

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

Kids Definition

think tank

noun

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