brains
brains — noun
1. the organs inside the skull that control thought, memory, movement, and the body
the organs inside the skull that control thought, memory, movement, and the body's basic functions
Human brains continue developing well into the late teenage years.
human brains + continue developing
The museum displayed sheep brains beside a model of the nervous system.
The scan compared healthy brains with brains damaged by repeated falls.
Birds have smaller brains than humans, but many still solve problems.
文法句型
human brains
brains + develop
brains + control + body function
用法筆記
Use the plural when talking about the organs of more than one person or animal. For one person, English normally uses the singular form brain.
常見錯誤
2. the ability to think well, understand quickly, and solve problems successfully
the ability to think well, understand quickly, and solve problems successfully
You need brains, not just money, to run a company well.
brains for practical success
Ayesha has the brains to learn coding in only a few months.
have the brains to + verb
The quiz looked easy, but it took real brains to finish first.
Good teachers value steady effort as much as natural brains.
- intelligence
more formal and neutral than the informal noun brains
- brainpower
emphasises mental power used on a task or problem
- wit
often focuses on quickness and verbal cleverness rather than general ability
文法句型
have the brains to + verb
use your brains
a lot of brains
用法筆記
This sense refers to the ability itself, not to a person. Common phrases include use your brains and have the brains to do something. Distinguish from sense 3, which refers to intelligent people.
常見錯誤
3. very intelligent people whose ideas or skills are highly valued in a field or or
very intelligent people whose ideas or skills are highly valued in a field or organization
The company attracts young brains from across Asia to work in robotics.
young brains in a specialist field
Several legal brains joined the panel to discuss the new law.
The research centre brings together the best brains in climate science.
Local political brains were invited to advise the mayor before the election.
- intellectuals
more formal and often used for thinkers, writers, or academics
- experts
focuses on knowledge in a field, not necessarily exceptional intelligence
- talent
broader; can include creative or practical ability as well as intelligence
文法句型
the best brains in + field
young brains
legal/scientific brains
用法筆記
Usually plural and often found in newspaper or formal writing about talented people in business, science, politics, or the arts. Distinguish from the idiom the brains, which points to the main thinker in one particular group.
常見錯誤
brains — verb
1. to kill someone by smashing their skull with a heavy blow
to kill someone by smashing their skull with a heavy blow
The falling beam brained the trapped miner before help arrived.
brain + noun phrase in a fatal accident
In the film, the guard is brained with a metal bar.
be brained with + object
A loose brick fell from the wall and brained the thief.
The hunter warned that one hard swing could brain the animal.
文法句型
brain + noun phrase
be brained with + object
用法筆記
This is a violent and very uncommon verb, usually found in fiction or reports of blunt-force killing. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 causes death, while sense 2 only means to strike the head.
常見錯誤
2. to hit someone hard on the head
to hit someone hard on the head
The branch snapped back and brained Kaito on the climbing path.
accidental blow to the head
A panicked prisoner tried to brain the guard with a stool.
brain + noun phrase + with + object
During the match, an elbow brained Luca above the left eye.
The swinging gate nearly brained the child as she ran through.
文法句型
brain + noun phrase
brain + noun phrase + with + object
用法筆記
Also rare and informal. It often appears with a weapon or moving object after with. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not itself say that the person died.