as in mind
the normal or healthy condition of the mental abilities
scared out of her wits
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Recent Examples of wits
The trailer opens with Hal jumping out of a moving car, leaving John flying off a cliff, relying on his quick wits and Green Lantern powers to save himself.
—
Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2026
Keep your wits with you so stress stays low.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
His father was a wheeler-dealer who lived by quick wits and the sweat of his brow, dabbling in bootlegged sake, swine farming, loan sharking, and later pachinko parlors—Japan’s ubiquitous low-stakes gambling game of clattering steel ball bearings.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Don’t take anything for granted and keep your wits about you.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Most of the film follows Dylan and his entourage (including Joan Baez) on a tour of England, trading wits with journalists and getting hammered at a notorious hotel party that involves someone (who?
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
That’s one of my favorite date things to do, play chess and match wits with a lady.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
Kevin's dream of being home alone quickly turns into a hilarious nightmare and battle of wits when a pair of bumbling thieves attempts to break into his house.
—Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Scared out of their wits, Islanders fled.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2026
Keep your wits with you so stress stays low.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
His father was a wheeler-dealer who lived by quick wits and the sweat of his brow, dabbling in bootlegged sake, swine farming, loan sharking, and later pachinko parlors—Japan’s ubiquitous low-stakes gambling game of clattering steel ball bearings.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Don’t take anything for granted and keep your wits about you.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Most of the film follows Dylan and his entourage (including Joan Baez) on a tour of England, trading wits with journalists and getting hammered at a notorious hotel party that involves someone (who?
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
That’s one of my favorite date things to do, play chess and match wits with a lady.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
Kevin's dream of being home alone quickly turns into a hilarious nightmare and battle of wits when a pair of bumbling thieves attempts to break into his house.
—Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Scared out of their wits, Islanders fled.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wits
Noun
-
Feeling unwell and still adjusting to the weekly grind of the ATP Tour, the Irvine native exited in the first round and quickly scratched it from his mind.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
While helping a small business deploy AI tools or securing land for a data center facility might not make for a thrilling Shark Tank pitch, in O’Leary’s mind, both opportunities could make some 25-year-olds very rich.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For everyone’s sanity, that fix better be bulletproof.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Cembalest will ultimately be right, and sanity returned, for a bit.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wits. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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