"brainstorm" meaning in English

See brainstorm in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈbɹeɪnstɔːm/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈbɹeɪnstɔɹm/ [General-American] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav , LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav Forms: brainstorms [plural]
Rhymes: -eɪnstɔː(ɹ)m Etymology: 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. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|brain|storm}} brain + storm Head templates: {{en-noun}} brainstorm (plural brainstorms)
  1. (US) A sudden thought, particularly one that solves a long-standing problem. Tags: US Synonyms: brainwave Translations (sudden thought): älynvälähdys (Finnish), välähdys (Finnish), neronleimaus (Finnish), ohia manomano (Maori), aha-upplevelse [common-gender] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-brainstorm-en-noun-6v1d0eP4 Categories (other): American English Disambiguation of 'sudden thought': 92 1 5 2
  2. A session of brainstorming, investigating a problem to try to find solutions.
    Sense id: en-brainstorm-en-noun-nNLkmXtV
  3. (British) An unexpected mental error. Tags: British Translations (mental error): moka (Finnish), hjärnsläpp [neuter] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-brainstorm-en-noun-ve1a6mqD Categories (other): British English Disambiguation of 'mental error': 0 0 100 0
  4. Alternative form of brain storm (“activity in the brain, such as a seizure or convulsion”) Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: brain storm (extra: activity in the brain, such as a seizure or convulsion)
    Sense id: en-brainstorm-en-noun-x78nKwtN Categories (other): English terms with collocations
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: brain-storm, brain storm Derived forms: brainstormy

Verb

IPA: /ˈbɹeɪnstɔːm/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈbɹeɪnstɔɹm/ [General-American] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav , LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav Forms: brainstorms [present, singular, third-person], brainstorming [participle, present], brainstormed [participle, past], brainstormed [past]
Rhymes: -eɪnstɔː(ɹ)m Etymology: 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. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|brain|storm}} brain + storm Head templates: {{en-verb}} brainstorm (third-person singular simple present brainstorms, present participle brainstorming, simple past and past participle brainstormed)
  1. (intransitive) To investigate something, or solve a problem using brainstorming. Tags: intransitive
    Sense id: en-brainstorm-en-verb-WsPVsZZ4
  2. (intransitive) To participate in a brainstorming session. Tags: intransitive
    Sense id: en-brainstorm-en-verb-uRK28yzH
  3. (transitive) To think up (ideas); especially, to do so creatively. Tags: transitive Categories (topical): Thinking
    Sense id: en-brainstorm-en-verb-ob9O6hNP Disambiguation of Thinking: 14 12 10 20 8 9 27 Categories (other): English links with manual fragments, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with Maori translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 13 14 7 9 1 5 50 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 7 8 4 8 2 3 66 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 8 16 4 8 3 6 54 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 13 13 4 7 2 2 59 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 16 9 13 11 3 4 44 Disambiguation of Terms with Maori translations: 18 9 13 11 3 4 42 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 16 8 12 10 2 3 49
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: brain-storm, brain storm Derived forms: brainstormer Related terms: bounce off [usually], spitball, workshop

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

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      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "brainstormer"
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
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      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "raw_tags": [
        "with an idea or ideas"
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      "tags": [
        "usually"
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      "word": "bounce off"
    },
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      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "spitball"
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      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "workshop"
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          "ref": "2017 August 27, Brandon Nowalk, “Game Of Thrones slows down for the longest, and best, episode of the season (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club:",
          "text": "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.”",
          "type": "quote"
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          "type": "quote"
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        "To investigate something, or solve a problem using brainstorming."
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          "brainstorming",
          "brainstorming"
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        "(intransitive) To investigate something, or solve a problem using brainstorming."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
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        "(intransitive) To participate in a brainstorming session."
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      "tags": [
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          "kind": "other",
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          "_dis": "13 14 7 9 1 5 50",
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        {
          "_dis": "7 8 4 8 2 3 66",
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          "_dis": "8 16 4 8 3 6 54",
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          "_dis": "13 13 4 7 2 2 59",
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          "_dis": "16 9 13 11 3 4 44",
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          "_dis": "18 9 13 11 3 4 42",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "16 8 12 10 2 3 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
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          "_dis": "14 12 10 20 8 9 27",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
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            "Fundamental"
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        {
          "text": "I need you to brainstorm some suggestions for next week's activity schedule.",
          "type": "example"
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        "To think up (ideas); especially, to do so creatively."
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          "think up",
          "think up"
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          "idea",
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          "creative",
          "creative"
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        "(transitive) To think up (ideas); especially, to do so creatively."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
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      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
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      "word": "brain-storm"
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          "text": "I had been working on the problem for weeks, and then I had a brainstorm and saw that the solution was easy.",
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        "A sudden thought, particularly one that solves a long-standing problem."
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        "(US) A sudden thought, particularly one that solves a long-standing problem."
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          "word": "brainwave"
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          "_dis1": "92 1 5 2",
          "code": "fi",
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          "sense": "sudden thought",
          "word": "älynvälähdys"
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          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "sudden thought",
          "word": "neronleimaus"
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          "_dis1": "92 1 5 2",
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "sudden thought",
          "word": "ohia manomano"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "92 1 5 2",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "sudden thought",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "aha-upplevelse"
        }
      ]
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        "A session of brainstorming, investigating a problem to try to find solutions."
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          "brainstorming",
          "brainstorming"
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        {
          "text": "2005 October 5, \"Iguchi hit ruins Red Sox's night\", BBC Online, 5 October\nA 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."
        }
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        "An unexpected mental error."
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      "id": "en-brainstorm-en-noun-ve1a6mqD",
      "links": [
        [
          "mental",
          "mental"
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        "(British) An unexpected mental error."
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      "tags": [
        "British"
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 0 100 0",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "mental error",
          "word": "moka"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 0 100 0",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "mental error",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "hjärnsläpp"
        }
      ]
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          "word": "brain storm"
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          "text": "electrical brainstorm",
          "type": "example"
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        "Alternative form of brain storm (“activity in the brain, such as a seizure or convulsion”)"
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          "brain storm",
          "brain storm#English"
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      "word": "brain storm"
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
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      "raw_tags": [
        "with an idea or ideas"
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      "word": "bounce off"
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      "word": "spitball"
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    {
      "word": "workshop"
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  ],
  "senses": [
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      "categories": [
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        "English terms with quotations"
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        {
          "ref": "2017 August 27, Brandon Nowalk, “Game Of Thrones slows down for the longest, and best, episode of the season (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club:",
          "text": "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.”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 September 27, Barclay Bram, “My Therapist, the Robot”, in The New York Times:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To investigate something, or solve a problem using brainstorming."
      ],
      "links": [
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        [
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        [
          "brainstorming",
          "brainstorming"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To investigate something, or solve a problem using brainstorming."
      ],
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        "intransitive"
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    },
    {
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        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To participate in a brainstorming session."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "participate",
          "participate"
        ],
        [
          "session",
          "session"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To participate in a brainstorming session."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English links with manual fragments",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I need you to brainstorm some suggestions for next week's activity schedule.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To think up (ideas); especially, to do so creatively."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "think up",
          "think up"
        ],
        [
          "idea",
          "idea"
        ],
        [
          "creative",
          "creative"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To think up (ideas); especially, to do so creatively."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbɹeɪnstɔːm/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbɹeɪnstɔɹm/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0d/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0d/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪnstɔː(ɹ)m"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "brain-storm"
    },
    {
      "word": "brain storm"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Alex F. Osborn",
    "creative problem-solving"
  ],
  "word": "brainstorm"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English contranyms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/eɪnstɔː(ɹ)m",
    "Rhymes:English/eɪnstɔː(ɹ)m/2 syllables",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with Maori translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "en:Thinking"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "brainstormy"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "brain",
        "3": "storm"
      },
      "expansion": "brain + storm",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "brainstorms",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "brainstorm (plural brainstorms)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I had been working on the problem for weeks, and then I had a brainstorm and saw that the solution was easy.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A sudden thought, particularly one that solves a long-standing problem."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US) A sudden thought, particularly one that solves a long-standing problem."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "brainwave"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A session of brainstorming, investigating a problem to try to find solutions."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "brainstorming",
          "brainstorming"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "2005 October 5, \"Iguchi hit ruins Red Sox's night\", BBC Online, 5 October\nA 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."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An unexpected mental error."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "mental",
          "mental"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(British) An unexpected mental error."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "British"
      ]
    },
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "activity in the brain, such as a seizure or convulsion",
          "word": "brain storm"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with collocations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "electrical brainstorm",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of brain storm (“activity in the brain, such as a seizure or convulsion”)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "brain storm",
          "brain storm#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbɹeɪnstɔːm/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-brainstorm.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbɹeɪnstɔɹm/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0d/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0d/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-brainstorm.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪnstɔː(ɹ)m"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "brain-storm"
    },
    {
      "word": "brain storm"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "sudden thought",
      "word": "älynvälähdys"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "sudden thought",
      "word": "välähdys"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "sudden thought",
      "word": "neronleimaus"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "sudden thought",
      "word": "ohia manomano"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "sudden thought",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "aha-upplevelse"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "mental error",
      "word": "moka"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "mental error",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "hjärnsläpp"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Alex F. Osborn",
    "creative problem-solving"
  ],
  "word": "brainstorm"
}

Download raw JSONL data for brainstorm meaning in English (9.5kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.