wits

¹ British  

/ wɪts /

plural noun

1. (sometimes singular) the ability to reason and act, esp quickly (esp in the phrase have one's wits about one )

2. (sometimes singular) right mind, sanity (esp in the phrase out of one's wits )

3. at a loss to know how to proceed

4. obsolete the five senses or mental faculties

5. to gain a livelihood by craftiness and cunning rather than by hard work

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Wits ² British  

/ wɪts /

noun

1. informal University of the Witwatersrand

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Explanation

Your wits are your ability to think clearly and quickly. If the class lizard escapes, you can panic — or you can keep your wits, calmly catch him in a box, and return him to his terrarium. The word wits is used to describe a person's collective mental faculties. If you hang onto your wits in an emergency, that means you remain resourceful and capable. On the other hand, if haunted houses scare you out of your wits, you will probably lose your ability to keep calm and collected at the first sight of a vampire. Wits, like wit, derives from the Old English gewit, "understanding or sense."

Example Sentences

At the end of each show, the judges pick two characters to face off in a battle of wits.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

I am reasonably educated, and at 64, I still have most of my wits.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026

They will need their ethical, intellectual and political wits about them to craft reforms and regulations, and to restore a sense of confidence in the department’s independence.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026

Markets snapped back on what wits called “Taco Thursday.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

I mean, he lives by his wits in the woods, so he isn’t exactly wagging his tail twenty-four hours a day.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• fun
• joke
• satire