What does "brain" mean?
The control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull which is responsible for perception, cognition, attention, memory, emotion, and action.
Brain
/bɹeɪn/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull which is responsible for perception, cognition, attention, memory, emotion, and action.
- Grammar: brain is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: encephalon, genius, mastermind, mind.
- Useful contrasts: blockhead, dullness, dunce.
- Usage evidence: When the body is touched, receptors in the skin send messages to the brain causing the release of chemicals such as endorphins.
How to use "brain"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "brain" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "brain" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "brain" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "brain" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "brain" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "encephalon" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "brain", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull which is responsible for perception, cognition, attention, memory, emotion, and action. countable, uncountable
"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."
- 2 that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord wordnet
- 3 The control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull which is responsible for perception, cognition, attention, memory, emotion, and action.; A part of the brain, especially associated with particular mental functions, abilities, etc. countable, uncountable
"The left brain, or that which supplies and animates the right side of the body, is the most active brain, as a general rule."
- 4 that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason wordnet
- 5 Mind. countable, informal, uncountable
"I have too much on my brain today."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 mental ability wordnet
- 7 Intellect. countable, in-plural, uncountable
""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."
- 8 the brain of certain animals used as meat wordnet
- 9 An intelligent person. countable, informal, uncountable
"She was a total brain."
- 10 someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality wordnet
- 11 An intelligent person.; A person who provides the intelligence required for something. countable, informal, plural, plural-only, uncountable
"He is the brains behind the scheme."
- 12 An intelligent person.; An intellectual or mental capacity. countable, informal, singular, uncountable
"Gerald always acts like he doesn't have a brain."
- 13 By analogy with a human brain, the part of a machine or computer that performs calculations. countable, uncountable
"The computer's brain is capable of millions of calculations a second."
- 14 Oral sex. slang, uncountable, vulgar
"Have you ever popped champagne on a plane, while gettin' some brain?"
- 15 A loose compartment of a backpack that straps on over the top opening. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To dash out the brains of; to kill by smashing the skull. transitive
- 2 kill by smashing someone's skull wordnet
- 3 To strike (someone) on the head. transitive
"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."
- 4 hit on the head wordnet
- 5 To destroy; to put an end to. figuratively, transitive
"There thou maiſt braine him,"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To conceive in the mind; to understand. obsolete, transitive
"'Tis still a dream, or else such stuff as madmen / Tongue, and brain not."
- 7 To think effectively. humorous, intransitive, nonstandard
"My brain isn't braining right now."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"When the body is touched, receptors in the skin send messages to the brain causing the release of chemicals such as endorphins."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "brain"?
Common synonyms include: encephalon, genius, mastermind, mind, abdomen, acumen.
How do you use "brain" in a sentence?
When the body is touched, receptors in the skin send messages to the brain causing the release of chemicals such as endorphins.
How do you pronounce "brain"?
Pronounced /bɹeɪn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English brayn, brain, from Old English bræġn (“brain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bragn, from Proto-Germanic *bragną (“brain”), from Proto-Indo-European *mregʰnom (“skull, brain”), from Proto-Indo-European *mregʰ- (“marrow, sinciput”) + *-mn̥ (“nominal suffix”). 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”).
Etymology 2
From the Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, from mac an Bhreitheamhan (“son of the judge”), from breitheamh (“judge”).