thinking cap

noun

: a state or mood in which one thinks
usually used in the phrase put one's thinking cap on

Examples of thinking cap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Please put back on your thinking cap and recall some of the earlier remarks that were made. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 Every recreational drug that a person could take was in his system … put on your thinking caps — what happens when people take drugs? St. John Barned-Smith, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 May 2023 Time to put your thinking cap on. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Jan. 2022 Put on your sleuth-like thinking cap. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2021 The ultimate goal is a wireless memory prosthesis that could be worn like a real-life thinking cap by anyone seeking to learn something new, from veterans recovering from traumatic brain injuries to the elderly suffering from Alzheimer’s disease to students cramming for final exams. Robert Lee Hotz, WSJ, 13 Aug. 2021 For the former, Gullatt put on his thinking cap. Marc Bona, cleveland, 9 July 2021 That thinking cap is still a long way off. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2011 Jeopardy! Materials: Jeopardy! slideshow template Swap your grad cap for a thinking cap and put your trivia skills to the test. Leah Campano, Seventeen, 22 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thinking cap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thinking cap was in 1827

Dictionary Entries Near thinking cap

Cite this Entry

“Thinking cap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thinking%20cap. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

thinking cap

noun
: a state or mood in which one thinks
put on your thinking cap
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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