Word.ws English Dictionary

brain

/ˈbɹeɪ̯n/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Australia/ˈbɹæ̝ɪ̯n/

brain noun: the control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull, consisting of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem, which is responsible for perception, cognition, attention, memory, emotion, and action.

Noun

brain (countable and uncountable, plural brains)

  1. The control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull, consisting of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem, which is responsible for perception, cognition, attention, memory, emotion, and action.
    • The Ueynes are ſpred foorth throughout the whole bodie, howbeit from one welhead, that is to ſay from the Liuer: ſo be the Sinews, howbeit from the Brayne; So likewiſe are the Heartſtrings, howbeit from the Heart.1587, Philip of Mornay [i.e., Philippe de Mornay], “That there is but Onely One God”, in Philip Sidney, Arthur Golding, transl., A Woorke Concerning the Trewnesse of the Christian Religion, […]...
    • The brain of a calf, sheep, and pig, young and served fresh, is reputedly erotic in its effects.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 49
    Synonyms:
    encephalon, harns
    1. A part of the brain, especially associated with particular mental functions, abilities, etc.
      • The left brain, or that which supplies and animates the right side of the body, is the most active brain, as a general rule.1892, Benjamin Ward Richardson, The Asclepiad, London, page 357
      • What is expressed in the lotus, the plumed serpent, or the staff of Osiris is the yogi's knowledge of the three brains of man. The first brain is the reptilian brain of the spinal cord, the brain of instinctive reflexes, the brain of the subconscious.1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 113
    2. (obsolete) skull; head
      • caused the young Princess, the King's only Daughter, to be taken and thrust into a large velvet Sack, and her Brains to be knockt out with great Bars1690, “Preface to the Reader”, in A Full and True Relation of the Great and Wonderful Revolution That Hapned Lately in the Kingdom of Siam in the East-Indies, London: Randal Taylor, page ii
  2. (informal) Mind.
    • I have too much on my brain today.
    • And I should tell him all my pain, / ⁠And how my life had droop’d of late, / ⁠And he should sorrow o’er my state / And marvel what possess’d my brain; […]1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XIV”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 22
  3. (in plural) Intellect.
    • "We provided a lot of brains and a lot of heart to the response when it was needed," says Sandra Sanchez, director of AFSC's Immigrants' Voice Program in Des Moines.2008 Quaker Action (magazine) Rights trampled in rush to deport immigrant workers, Fall 2008, Vol. 89, No. 3, p. 8
    • She has a lot of brains.
  4. (informal) An intelligent person.
    • She was a total brain.
    • Peebee: The brains and I are comparing Remnant notes and filling in the blanks.2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Nexus
    1. (informal, plural, plural-only) A person who provides the intelligence required for something.
      • He is the brains behind the scheme.
    2. (informal, singular) An intellectual or mental capacity.
      • Gerald always acts like he doesn't have a brain.
  5. By analogy with a human brain, the part of a machine or computer that performs calculations.
    • The computer's brain is capable of millions of calculations a second.
  6. (slang, uncountable, vulgar) Oral sex.
    • Have you ever popped champagne on a plane, while gettin' some brain?2007, “Good Life”, in Graduation, performed by Kanye West ft. T-Pain
    • You said I got brain from your dame in the range / In the passing lane / But you really ain't got no proof2012, Mack Maine featuring Turk and Mystikal, I'm On It
  7. A loose compartment of a backpack that straps on over the top opening.

Verb

brain (third-person singular simple present brains, present participle braining, simple past and past participle brained)

  1. (transitive) To dash out the brains of; to kill by smashing the skull.
  2. (transitive) To strike (someone) on the head.
    • Lambdon would require medical attention for a fractured skull. It seemed that Fen had passed his wife a couple of telling pictures, whereupon the drab Mrs. Lambdon had brained her husband with a table lamp.2014, K.J. Charles, Think of England, page 166
  3. (figuratively, transitive) To destroy; to put an end to.
    • There thou maiſt braine him,1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published...
    • It was the ſwift celeritie of his death / […] That brain'd my purpoſe:c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
  4. (obsolete, transitive) To conceive in the mind; to understand.
    • 'Tis still a dream, or else such stuff as madmen / Tongue, and brain not.1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
  5. (humorous, intransitive, nonstandard) To think effectively.
    • My brain isn't braining right now.

Proper noun capitalized: Brain

Brain (plural Brains)

  1. A surname.

brain meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

brain in Hindi

organ
भेजा bhejā, मस्तिष्क mastiṣk, दिमाग़ dimāġ, मग़्ज़ maġz, मग्ज magj
intelligent person
बुद्धिमान buddhimān
brains: intellect
बुद्धि buddhi

brain in Tamil

organ
மூளை mūḷai

brain in Marathi

organ
मेंदू mendū

brain in Urdu

organ
دِماغ dimāġ, مَغْز maġz, بھیجا bhejā
More languagesFewer languages
brain in Bengali
মস্তিষ্ক mostiśko, মগজ mogoj, দেমাগ demag, জ্ঞানী gêni
brain in Telugu
మెదడు medaḍu, మస్తిష్కము mastiṣkamu
brain in Malayalam
തലച്ചോറ് talaccōṟ, മൂള mūḷa, മസ്തിഷ്കം mastiṣkaṁ, ബുദ്ധിമാന് buddhimāṉ
brain in Kannada
ಮೆದುಳು meduḷu, ಮಸ್ತಿಷ್ಕ mastiṣka, ಮಿದುಳು miduḷu
brain in Punjabi
ਦਿਮਾਗ਼ dimāġ, دِماغ dimāġ
brain in Gujarati
મગજ magaj
brain in Odia
ମସ୍ତିଷ୍କ mastiṣka
brain in Sanskrit
मस्तिष्क mastiṣka, तेजस tejasa
brain in Sinhala
මොළයේ moḷayē
brain in Assamese
মগজু mogozu
brain in Nepali
मस्तिष्क mastiṣka
brain in Pashto
ماغزه māğza
brain in Tagalog
utak, matalino, talino
brain in Arabic
دِمَاغ dimāḡ, مخ muḵḵ, نفوخ arz, دِماغ acw
brain in Malay
otak, benak
brain in Indonesian
otak, benak
brain in Persian
مَغْز maġz, دِمَاغ dimāġ, دِماغ demâġ
brain in Thai
มันสมอง man-sà-mɔ̌ɔng, สมอง sà-mɔ̌ɔng
brain in Vietnamese
óc, não, trí óc
brain in Myanmar
ဦးနှောက် u:hnauk
Dhivehi
ސިކުނޑި sikuⁿḍi

Examples of brain in a sentence

  • Got your nigga going / Going insane and so do I when he give me brain2012, “Boss Ass Bitch”, performed by PTAF:
  • She giving brain / She eat the dick up like some M&Ms2018, “Squidrific”, performed by SahBabii:

All 40 example sentences with brain

Synonyms of brain

4 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of brain

Forms of brain

Noun
pluralbrains
alternative formbrayne
Verb
third-person singular presentbrains
present participlebraining
past participlebrained
pastbrained
Proper noun
pluralBrains

Past tense of brain: brained

Plural of brain: brains

Origin of brain

Inherited from Middle English brayn, from Old English bræġn, from Proto-West Germanic *bragn, from Proto-Germanic *bragną, from Proto-Indo-European *mrógʰ-n̥ ~ *mrégʰ-n̥-s, from *mregʰ- + *-n̥. Cognate with Scots braine, brane (“brain”), North Frisian brayen, brein, Brain (“brain”), Saterland Frisian Brainge, Bräienge (“brain”), West Frisian brein (“brain”), Dutch brein (“brain”), Low German Brägen, Bregen (“brain”) (whence German Bregen (“animal brain”)), Ancient Greek βρεχμός (brekhmós, “front part of the skull, top of the head”).

From the Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, from mac an Bhreitheamhan (“son of the judge”), from breitheamh (“judge”).

Words formed from brain

Phrases with brain

161 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with brain

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about brain

What does brain mean?
Brain means the control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull, consisting of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem, which is responsible for perception, cognition, attention, memory, emotion, and action.
What is brain in Hindi?
Brain in Hindi is भेजा (bhejā), मस्तिष्क (mastiṣk), दिमाग़ (dimāġ). See Brain meaning in Hindi.
How do you use brain in a sentence?
Got your nigga going / Going insane and so do I when he give me brain
What part of speech is brain?
Brain can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce brain?
Brain is pronounced /ˈbɹeɪ̯n/ (UK).
What is the plural of brain?
The plural of brain is brains.

Words near brain in the dictionary

  1. braillists
  2. brails
  3. Brailsford
  4. Brailsfords
  5. Braime
  6. brain
  7. brain blast
  8. brain bleach
  9. brain bleed
  10. brain bleeds
  11. brain bucket

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: brain (page history and authors); Brain (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Back ache-brain.wav, en-us-brain.ogg.

Cite this entry: “brain.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/brain. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.