Standard Lemma guide

brainstorming

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B R EY1 N S T AO2 R M IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A method of problem solving in which members of a group contribute ideas spontaneously.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: thought shower

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

present participle and gerund of brainstorm

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a group problem-solving technique in which members spontaneously share ideas and solutions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • we had an intense brainstorming session today

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: group action

History

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 Proto-Germanic *-ungō Old English -ung Middle English -ynge English -ing English brainstorming From brainstorm + -ing.

Across languages

Translations

103 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: dinkskrum — method of problem solving
  • Arabic: عَصَف ذِهْنِيّ (ʕaṣaf ḏihniyy) — method of problem solving
  • Arabic: قَدَح ذِهْنِيّ (qadaḥ ḏihniyy) — method of problem solving
  • Armenian: մտագրոհ (mtagroh) — method of problem solving
  • Azerbaijani: beyin həmləsi — method of problem solving
  • Basque: ideia-jasa — method of problem solving
  • Belarusian: мазгавы́ шторм (mazhavý štorm) — method of problem solving
  • Belarusian: мазгавы́ штурм (mazhavý šturm) — method of problem solving
  • Belarusian: мазгавы́ на́пад (mazhavý nápad) — method of problem solving
  • Breton: hej-menozioù — method of problem solving
  • Bulgarian: мозъчна ата́ка (mozǎčna atáka) — method of problem solving
  • Bulgarian: брейнсторминг (brejnstorming) — method of problem solving
  • Catalan: pluja d'idees — method of problem solving
  • Chinese Mandarin: 頭腦風暴 /头脑风暴 (tóunǎo fēngbào) — method of problem solving
  • Chinese Mandarin: 腦力激盪 /脑力激荡 (nǎolì jīdàng) — method of problem solving
  • Czech: burza nápadů — method of problem solving
  • Czech: brainstorming — method of problem solving
  • Danish: brainstorming — method of problem solving
  • Danish: brainstorm — method of problem solving
  • Dutch: brainstorm — method of problem solving
  • Esperanto: ideŝprucado — method of problem solving
  • Esperanto: komuna cerbumado — method of problem solving
  • Esperanto: kuncerbumado — method of problem solving
  • Estonian: ajurünnak — method of problem solving
  • Estonian: ajuraju — method of problem solving
  • Finnish: aivoriihi — method of problem solving
  • French: remue-méninge — method of problem solving
  • French: brainstorming — method of problem solving
  • German: Brainstorming — method of problem solving
  • Greek: καταιγισμός ιδεών (kataigismós ideón) — method of problem solving
  • Greek: ιδεοκαταιγισμός (ideokataigismós) — method of problem solving
  • Hebrew: סִעוּר מֹחוֹת (si'úr mokhót) — method of problem solving
  • Hindi: मंथन (manthan) — method of problem solving
  • Hindi: चिंतन (cintan) — method of problem solving
  • Hungarian: ötletgyűjtés — method of problem solving
  • Hungarian: ötletgyártás — method of problem solving
  • Hungarian: ötletbörze — method of problem solving
  • Hungarian: ötletroham — method of problem solving
  • Indonesian: sumbang saran — method of problem solving
  • Indonesian: curah pendapat — method of problem solving
  • Italian: brainstorming — method of problem solving
  • Japanese: ブレインストーミング (bureinsutōmingu) — method of problem solving
  • Japanese: ブレーンストーミング (burēnsutōmingu) — method of problem solving
  • Japanese: ブレスト (buresuto) — method of problem solving
  • Kannada: ಬುದ್ಧಿದಾಳಿ (buddhidāḷi) — method of problem solving
  • Kannada: ಮುಕ್ತವಾಗಿ ಚರ್ಚಿಸುವ ವಿಧಾನ (muktavāgi carcisuva vidhāna) — method of problem solving
  • Korean: 브레인스토밍 (beureinseutoming) — method of problem solving
  • Latvian: prāta vētras metode — method of problem solving
  • Malagasy: zaikakelim-pamoahankevitra — method of problem solving
  • Malay: sumbang saran — method of problem solving
  • Malay: pemerahan otak — method of problem solving
  • Malay: percambahan minda — method of problem solving
  • Malay: tampung saran — method of problem solving
  • Malay: curah pendapat — method of problem solving
  • Malay: ڤمرهن اوتق (pemerahan utak) — method of problem solving
  • Malay: ڤرچمبهن ميندا (percambahan minda) — method of problem solving
  • Malay: تمڤوڠ سارن (tampung saran) — method of problem solving
  • Malay: چوره ڤنداڤت (curah pendapat) — method of problem solving
  • Marathi: ब्रेनस्टॉर्मिंग (brenasṭŏrmiṅga) — method of problem solving
  • Norwegian: idédugnad — method of problem solving
  • Norwegian: brainstorming — method of problem solving
  • Norwegian: idémyldring — method of problem solving
  • Persian: طوفان فکری (tufân fekri) — method of problem solving
  • Persian: بارش فکری (bâreš fekri) — method of problem solving
  • Persian: اندیشهباران (andiše-bârân) — method of problem solving
  • Polish: burza mózgów — method of problem solving
  • Portuguese: tempestade cerebral — method of problem solving
  • Portuguese: tempestade de ideias — method of problem solving
  • Portuguese: brainstorming — method of problem solving
  • Portuguese: brainstorm — method of problem solving
  • Russian: мозгова́я ата́ка (mozgovája atáka) — method of problem solving
  • Russian: мозгово́й штурм (mozgovój šturm) — method of problem solving
  • Russian: брейнсто́рминг (brɛjnstórming) — method of problem solving
  • Serbo-Croatian: про̀ток иде́ја — method of problem solving
  • Serbo-Croatian: олу́ја мозгова — method of problem solving
  • Serbo-Croatian: бу̏ра мозгова — method of problem solving
  • Serbo-Croatian: брејнсторминг — method of problem solving
  • Serbo-Croatian: pròtok idéja — method of problem solving
  • Serbo-Croatian: olúja mozgova — method of problem solving
  • Serbo-Croatian: bȕra mozgova — method of problem solving
  • Serbo-Croatian: brainstorming — method of problem solving
  • Slovene: možganska nevihta — method of problem solving
  • Slovene: brainstorming — method of problem solving
  • Spanish: tormenta de ideas — method of problem solving
  • Spanish: lluvia de ideas — method of problem solving
  • Spanish: brainstorming — method of problem solving
  • Spanish: tormenta cerebral — method of problem solving
  • Spanish: pluvia ideal — method of problem solving
  • Swedish: brainstormning — method of problem solving
  • Swedish: brainstorming — method of problem solving
  • Swedish: hjärnstorm — method of problem solving
  • Tamil: கருத்துதிர்ப்பு (karuttutirppu) — method of problem solving
  • Turkish: beyin fırtınası — method of problem solving
  • Turkish: fikir fırtınası — method of problem solving
  • Ukrainian: мозкови́й шторм (mozkovýj štorm) — method of problem solving
  • Ukrainian: зли́ва іде́й (zlýva idéj) — method of problem solving
  • Ukrainian: ґенерува́ння іде́й (generuvánnja idéj) — method of problem solving
  • Urdu: فکر انگیزی (fikr-angezī) — method of problem solving
  • Vietnamese: động não — method of problem solving
  • Vietnamese: công não — method of problem solving
  • Vietnamese: tập kích — method of problem solving
  • Welsh: taflu syniadau — method of problem solving
  • Welsh: tanio syniadau — method of problem solving
Real reading context

brainstorming in complete knowledge articles