braine: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1neutral
Quick answer
What does “braine” mean?
the organ inside the head that controls thought, memory, feeling, and activity.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
the organ inside the head that controls thought, memory, feeling, and activity
used to refer to intelligence or to a person who is very intelligent
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or meaning differences. Some collocational preferences exist (e.g., 'brain drain' slightly more frequent in UK media historically).
Connotations
Identical in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally common in both UK and US English.
Grammar
How to Use “braine” in a Sentence
have a brainuse your brainpick someone's brainbrain someone (informal)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “braine” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- He brained the burglar with a cricket bat.
American English
- She brained the piñata with a baseball bat.
adjective
British English
- The brain surgery was a complete success.
American English
- She is the brain surgeon on call tonight.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
'We need the best brains in the industry to solve this problem.'
Academic
The study examines neural pathways in the developing brain.
Everyday
I can't get that song out of my brain.
Technical
The MRI showed increased activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “braine”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “braine”
- Using 'brains' as singular uncountable noun (e.g., 'She has a good brains').
- Confusing 'brain' with 'mind' in philosophical contexts.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be both. As a physical organ, it is countable ('The surgeon studied three brains'). Referring to intelligence or food, it is often uncountable ('She has a lot of brain', 'We ate sheep's brain').
'Brain' typically refers to the organ or intellectual capacity in a general sense. 'Brains' often refers to intelligence ('Use your brains!') or can be the plural of the organ. In cooking, 'brains' is often treated as pluralia tantum ('calf brains').
Yes, informally it means 'to hit someone hard on the head'. It is dated and violent ('He brained him with a bottle'). More neutrally, 'to brain' can mean to kill by a blow to the head.
It's an idiom describing the emigration of highly trained or intelligent people from a particular country or organization, resulting in a loss of skilled personnel.
the organ inside the head that controls thought, memory, feeling, and activity.
Braine is usually neutral in register.
Braine: in British English it is pronounced /breɪn/, and in American English it is pronounced /breɪn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “rack your brain”
- “brain drain”
- “brainchild”
- “on the brain”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a train in your BRAIN – both carry important things (thoughts/people) along tracks/pathways.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE MIND IS A CONTAINER (e.g., 'put it in your brain'), THINKING IS MANIPULATION (e.g., 'brainstorm').
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is an idiom meaning 'to think very hard'?