brainstorm
/ˈbɹeɪnstɔɹm/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.85 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A session of brainstorming, investigating a problem to try to find solutions.
noun
Alternative form of brain storm (“activity in the brain, such as a seizure or convulsion”).
Example Sentences
- "Meanwihle at Winterfell, another overdone scheme designed mainly to surprise the audience. In the black of her chambers, Sansa brainstorms with Littlefinger what Arya could want. “After she murders you, what does she become?” he asks. To which Sansa does everything but gasp and spit-take, widening her eyes and saying like she’s just realizing it for the first time, “Lady of Winterfell.”"
- "On another occasion, when trying to brainstorm things I could do to make myself feel better despite all the pandemic restrictions, Woebot suggested I “try doing something nice for someone in your life,” like make a calming tea for my housemate or check in with a loved one."
- "I need you to brainstorm some suggestions for next week's activity schedule."
- "I had been working on the problem for weeks, and then I had a brainstorm and saw that the solution was easy."
- "2005 October 5, "Iguchi hit ruins Red Sox's night", BBC Online, 5 October A terrible fielding error from Tony Graffanino proved costly. … Aaron Rowand collected an RBI double to get them off the mark before Graffanino's brainstorm. Juan Uribe hit a roller to the second baseman, who let the potential inning-ending double-play ball roll under his glove, leaving runners at first and third bases."
- "electrical brainstorm"
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mregʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-n̥ Proto-Indo-European *mrógʰ-n̥ ~ *mrégʰ-n̥-s Proto-Germanic *bragną Proto-West Germanic *bragn Old English bræġn Middle English brayn English brain English storm English brainstorm From brain + storm. In the sense of "problem-solve", devised as a method of group creative problem-solving by advertising executive Alex F. Osborn and his employees, who coined the term based on the image of using "the brain to storm a problem". First use appears c. 1945. In the sense of "seizure, convulsion, brain activity", from the unrelated idea that it resembles a storm in the brain. First use appears c. 1861.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbɹeɪnstɔɹm/
- British English: /ˈbɹeɪnstɔːm/
Usage
- Intransitive verb
- Transitive verb
- American usage
- British usage