brainstorming
noun
Simple meaning
A group problem-solving technique in which members spontaneously share ideas and solutions.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
braynstawrmingSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbɹeɪnstɔɹmɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A group problem-solving technique in which members spontaneously share ideas and solutions
“We had an intense brainstorming session today.”
A method of problem solving in which members of a group contribute ideas spontaneously.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: A group problem-solving technique in which members spontaneously share ideas and solutions
Used this way, brainstorming is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“We had an intense brainstorming session today.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use brainstorming
- “We had an intense brainstorming session today.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.