brain wave

[ breyn-weyv ]
See synonyms for: brain wavebrain waves on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. Usually brain waves .Medicine/Medical. an electrical impulse given off by brain tissue, occurring at a frequency that varies according to mental state or activity, such as the slow waves associated with deep sleep and the fast waves associated with actively engaged thoughts and speech.: Compare alpha rhythm, beta rhythm, delta rhythm.

  2. Informal. a sudden idea or inspiration; brainstorm.

Origin of brain wave

1
First recorded in 1865–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use brain wave in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for brainwave (1 of 2)

brainwave

/ (ˈbreɪnˌweɪv) /


noun
  1. informal a sudden inspiration or idea: Also called: brainstorm

British Dictionary definitions for brain wave (2 of 2)

brain wave

noun
  1. any of the fluctuations of electrical potential in the brain as represented on an electroencephalogram. They vary in frequency from 1 to 30 hertz: See also alpha rhythm, beta rhythm, delta rhythm

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