to engage your brain
1
4.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
pon a trabajar tu mente
- Before making a decision, remember to engage your brain and consider all the facts.
Examples
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It's guys like you that need the muzzle; you start your mouth before engaging your brain.
Blog text (10) -
Engage your brain and do some honest research.
Blog text (19) -
Try to start engaging your brain and thinking critically instead of clogging your ears and screaming la la la la.
Blog text (4) -
If you don't know whether the person you are committing road rage against is armed or not, you might actually engage your brain before the accelerator pedal, finger, and horn.
Blog text (12) -
During the debate, he took a moment to engage his brain and analyze the various viewpoints.
-
To solve the math problem effectively, you need to engage your brain and think logically.
Synonyms
6
4.4
Pause and think clearly before you speak or decide
4
3.5
To pause and imagine how your words will affect others before you say them
How Thoughtful
43
4.4
265
3.9
∞
1.1
- Informal
1
4.2
∞
1.0
776
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to begin to think carefully' is directly derivable from combining 'engage' (activate, involve) with 'brain' (mental capacity); it literally instructs someone to activate their mind. This is a straightforward verb + object composition and mirrors common expressions in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely understand it.
Etymology
Engage your brain paints a simple picture: imagine you turn on a switch to engage your brain so it starts working. So it means 'to think carefully before you speak or act'.