From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlateral thinkingˌlateral ˈthinking noun [uncountable] RPa way of thinking in which you use your imagination to see relationships between things that are not normally thought of together
Examples from the Corpus
lateral thinking• Arrangement of ideas on the board provides a stimulus for new ideas and lateral thinking. 4.• Others include lateral thinking, straight and crooked thinking, potential problem analysis, rational decision-making, and so on.• So a little lateral thinking was called for.• It was a peculiar form of lateral thinking, inspired by instinct.• And that very excess of safety inspired some bright Vadinamians in to a galaxy-class piece of lateral thinking.• The model represents most of de Bono's ideas on lateral thinking.• Post-war lateral thinking solved the problem by abolishing the school, but the building survived that, too.• It can be immensely useful - and that is what is looked for with lateral thinking - or it can be false. 