meditate

play

verb med·i·tate \ ˈme-də-ˌtāt \

Definition of meditate

meditated; meditating

intransitive verb

1 :to engage in contemplation or reflection

He meditated long and hard before announcing his decision.

2 :to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness

transitive verb

1 :to focus one's thoughts on :reflect on or ponder over

He was meditating his past achievements.

2 :to plan or project in the mind :intend, purpose

He was meditating revenge.

—

meditator

play \-ˌtā-tər\ noun

See meditate defined for English-language learners

See meditate defined for kids

Examples of meditate in a Sentence

He meditates for an hour every morning.
I've been meditating a career change for months.

Recent Examples of meditate from the Web

The goats themselves don’t contort and meditate, but roam freely between humans.

— danielle ohl, baltimoresun.com, "Goat yoga gains popularity in Bel Air," 25 Aug. 2017
My New Year’s resolution is to learn how to meditate.

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "The 23 Most Ridiculous Moments in Goop History, Ranked," 24 Aug. 2017
Participants will learn tribal dancing, do a bit of yoga, sit by a fire and meditate.

— plain dealer guest writer, cleveland.com, "Ohio retreat centers offer a break from busy, close to home (photos)," 19 July 2017
Attendees will come in their pajamas while listening to yoga stories, meditating, and having a bedtime snack.

— quoron walker, Courant Community, "College Prep. Program Coming July 27," 19 July 2017
Those who use other ways to recharge (exercise, meditating, hobbies, nature interaction, etc.)

— philip chard, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mindful meals offer a healthy alternative to emotional eating," 16 July 2017
In the mornings, both Jay and Alison try to find time to meditate.

— emily eisen, Bon Appetit, "How the Wonder Valley Olive Oil Duo Does Breakfast," 7 July 2017
Released barely two weeks after welcoming twins with Bey, Jay spends 4:44 meditating on his fame, wealth and experience as a black man in America.

— maeve mcdermott, USA TODAY, "'4:44' is JAY-Z's explosive response to Beyonce's 'Lemonade'," 30 June 2017
SOME FOLKS achieve a Zen state by meditating; others run.

— jesse will, WSJ, "Car-Lovers Buff Their Way to Bliss—and You Can, Too," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'meditate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of meditate

Latin meditatus, past participle of meditari, frequentative of medēri to remedy — more at medical

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1560

See Words from the same year

meditate Synonyms

Synonyms

chew over, cogitate, consider, contemplate, debate, deliberate, entertain, eye, kick around, ponder, mull (over), perpend, pore (over), question, revolve, ruminate, study, think (about or over), turn, weigh, wrestle (with)

Related Words

muse (upon), reflect (on or upon), reminisce; analyze, explore, review; conclude, reason; second-guess, speculate (about); brood (about or over), dwell (on or upon), fixate (on or upon), fret (about or over), obsess (about or over); believe, conceive, opine; absorb, assimilate, digest, drink (in)

Near Antonyms

disregard, ignore, overlook, slight; dismiss, pooh-pooh (also pooh), reject

Synonym Discussion of meditate

ponder, meditate, muse, ruminate mean to consider or examine attentively or deliberately. ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter.

- pondered the course of action

meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply.

- meditated on the meaning of life

muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance.

- mused upon childhood joys

ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption.

- ruminated on past disappointments

MEDITATE Defined for English Language Learners

meditate

play

verb

Definition of meditate for English Language Learners

: to spend time in quiet thought for religious purposes or relaxation

MEDITATE Defined for Kids

meditate

play

verb med·i·tate \ ˈme-də-ˌtāt \

Definition of meditate for Students

meditated; meditating

1 :to consider carefully :plan

Here I meditated nothing but my escape …
—Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

2 :to spend time in quiet thinking :reflect

Learn More about meditate

See words that rhyme with meditate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for meditate Spanish Central: Translation of meditate Nglish: Translation of meditate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of meditate for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up meditate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

meditate

Definition of meditate

meditator

Explore Merriam-Webster

Examples of meditate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of meditate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of meditate

meditate Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of meditate

Phrases Related to MEDITATE

Related Phrases

MEDITATE Defined for English Language Learners

meditate

Definition of meditate for English Language Learners

MEDITATE Defined for Kids

meditate

Definition of meditate for Students

Learn More about meditate

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066