meditate

verb

med·i·tate | \ ˈme-də-ˌtāt

meditated; meditating

Definition of meditate

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.

Other Words from meditate Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about meditate

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Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of meditate in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Therapy is probably the top of the list for my self-care routine, and meditating. — Chris Eggertsen, Billboard, "Tayla Parx's Burnout Songwriter Camp Will Preach Self-Care to Music Creatives," 12 Sep. 2019 Lately, backlash to Chappelle’s standup special has set off a wave of thinkpieces, all meditating on why uncomfortable free expression like Chappelle’s is important, uncancelable. — Wired, "Concerning Consent, Chappelle, and Canceling Cancel Culture," 8 Sep. 2019 Jude Silva spent the morning meditating at the Blue Lotus Yoga and Meditation Center. — Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, "One thing seems sure in Gilroy, the festival — and the city — will go on," 4 Aug. 2019 Niu releases another deep breath, silently meditating in a small pocket of the Wells Fargo Center’s depths. — Jake Fischer, SI.com, "How Red Panda Became the NBA's Favorite Halftime Performer," 28 Aug. 2019 For years, Jesuit priests-in-training studied the Bible and meditated in rustic classroom buildings amid the forest. — Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, "New redwood park opening 15 miles from downtown San Jose," 7 June 2019 Diament’s mother, Carol Diament, said her son practiced Kung Fu and Tai Chi in prison, and taught other inmates at Sumter Correctional Institution how to meditate. — Tess Sheets, orlandosentinel.com, "Orange County Jail inmate died in apparent suicide, reports say," 18 July 2019 This involves meditating for around ten hours a day, with few breaks. — Nupur Anand, Quartz India, "Ten days of utter silence pulled me back from the brink of a mental breakdown," 2 July 2019 My doctor wants me to take Tylenol and learn to meditate. — STAT, "Stop persecuting doctors for legitimately prescribing opioids for chronic pain," 28 June 2019

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.