wits
1 Britishplural noun
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(sometimes singular) the ability to reason and act, esp quickly (esp in the phrase have one's wits about one )
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(sometimes singular) right mind, sanity (esp in the phrase out of one's wits )
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at a loss to know how to proceed
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obsolete the five senses or mental faculties
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to gain a livelihood by craftiness and cunning rather than by hard work
noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Keeping what few wits he still had left about him, Duane flipped the cork off the flask and flung the contents in the direction of the voice just as C.C. had instructed him to do.
From Literature
Mama came running, scared half out of her wits.
From Literature
Jonah shot her a resentful glance, but she looked even worse than he felt: she was deathly pale, and her eyes were huge and round, as if she’d just been terrified out of her wits.
From Literature
They will need their ethical, intellectual and political wits about them to craft reforms and regulations, and to restore a sense of confidence in the department’s independence.
From Salon
Outside school, though he worked hard to seem as like them as possible, he soon learned that his strength was no match for theirs and that his wits were his best weapon.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
