think tank

noun

1. a research institute or organization employed to solve complex problems or predict or plan future developments, as in military, political, or social areas.

think-tank

noun

1. informal.
   a group of specialists organized by a business enterprise, governmental body, etc, and commissioned to undertake intensive study and research into specified problems

think tank

1. An institution in which scholars pursue research in public policy. Largely funded by endowments and grants, think tanks work to improve public awareness of policy issues (through publications) and to influence the government to act upon issues of national importance. ( See power elite .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of think tank¹

1900–05 for earlier sense “brain”; 1955–60 for current sense

Idioms and Phrases

A group or organization dedicated to problem-solving and research, especially in such areas as technology, social or political strategy, and the military. For example, The congressional leaders rely too heavily on that conservative think tank . This term originated about 1900 as a facetious colloquialism for brain and was given its new meaning about 1950.

Example Sentences

Thea Stein is chief executive of health think tank the Nuffield Trust.

From BBC

He currently serves as co-chair at the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-linked think tank, as described by CNN.

From Salon

In a survey by the Korea Institute for National Unification, a government-funded think tank, 66% of South Koreans said their country should get nuclear weapons if North Korea does not disarm.

From Los Angeles Times

“Building the infrastructure and capacity to produce its own fissile material will take several years at best, as well as the time it will take to design, test and manufacture the weapons and compatible delivery systems,” said Jenny Town, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, a think tank in Washington.

From Los Angeles Times

Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a right-leaning think tank, said any action to deport millions of immigrants in the country illegally raised myriad questions and concerns.

From Los Angeles Times