meditate

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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

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
The cameras glide and zoom while the anchor remains seated, meditating, eyes trained on the two thin stacks of papers on his desk, while occasionally jotting a note.

— robert hackett, Fortune, "BBC’s Flagship News Show Suffered an Oddly Entrancing Glitch", 22 June 2017
A new Pilates studio in Brentwood, early morning yoga at a Santa Monica bar, a day-long retreat in downtown Los Angeles and thousands of people meditating in a local park: Put these on your schedule this week.

— kavita daswani, latimes.com, "Try yoga with a view, or join a mass meditation at downtown L.A.'s newest park", 10 June 2017
Some people meditate by doing yoga or deep-breathing exercises, but Laguna Woods resident Phil Foreman rides his bicycle – at considerable distances.

— emily rasmussen, Orange County Register, "Laguna Woods resident finds tranquility on coast-to-coast bicycle ride", 6 June 2017
Employees have taken to meeting for 10 minutes a day to meditate in a dimly lit conference room.

— nicholas fandos, New York Times, "A Vocal Defender of Ethics Has Fans — and Foes", 30 May 2017
Just sitting along the river and listening the water is a great way to meditate.

— stephen magagnini, sacbee.com, "Chill out on Mount Shasta. A few UFO and Sasquatch sightings will ease that stress", 28 May 2017
Most don’t have the time to do yoga, meditate and be mindful.

— georgeann yara, azcentral, "Scottsdale entrepreneurs place stress relief in the palm of your hand", 24 May 2017
While there, Kozlowski learned to meditate and listen to herself, experiencing moments of awe and transcendence.

— cindy lamothe, The Mercury News, "Neuroscience helps explain our growing attraction to spiritual retreats", 24 May 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

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First Known Use: 1560

See Words from the same year

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

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verb

Definition of meditate for English Language Learners

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

MEDITATE Defined for Kids

meditate

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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